$1 million deposit to book a room: Startup plans Moon hotel by 2032

A California-based startup is inviting ultra-wealthy travellers to reserve a future stay on the Moon, for a price. GRU Space says it plans to open the world’s first lunar hotel by 2032 and is already accepting applications that require a deposit of $1 million, according to a report by Gizmodo.

The company, short for Galactic Resource Utilization, says the early application process is aimed at prospective space tourists willing to commit significant sums to be among the first civilians to spend a night on the Moon.

Founded in 2025 by 22-year-old entrepreneur Skyler Chan, GRU Space is one of the newest entrants in the growing space tourism ecosystem. The startup believes that tourism could play a role in laying the foundation for a broader lunar economy, alongside scientific research and exploration.

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The company has outlined a multi-stage roadmap for the project. Its first mission, planned for 2029 under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme, is expected to carry an inflatable structure designed to test potential hotel habitats. The mission will also experiment with converting lunar soil into bricks, which GRU Space says could later be used to protect structures from radiation and extreme temperature swings.

A second mission would place a similar inflatable structure inside a natural lunar pit, which could offer more stable conditions than the Moon’s surface. If those efforts are successful, the company aims to deploy its first operational hotel module by 2032.

The initial facility is expected to be limited in scale, accommodating just four guests at a time. GRU Space says additional inflatable units could be added gradually, using construction materials derived from the Moon itself to expand capacity.

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The proposal comes as interest in lunar activity accelerates globally. NASA is preparing for its Artemis programme, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a sustained human presence, while China has announced plans for a crewed lunar mission by 2030.

Against this backdrop, GRU Space is positioning tourism as a complementary pillar of lunar development. While the Moon hotel remains years away and highly speculative, the company is betting that demand from wealthy travellers could help turn lunar stays from science fiction into a commercial reality.