GRU Space, a California startup, is accepting applications and up to $1 million refundable deposits to reserve rooms at a proposed lunar hotel. Applicants pay a $1,000 non-refundable fee up front and — if selected — may be asked for medical and financial screening. The company’s timeline shows construction payloads arriving in 2029, habitat deployment by 2031 and the first guests in the early 2030s. Backers reportedly include investors linked to SpaceX and Anduril, though the project remains technically and financially risky.
Reserve a Room on the Moon: California Startup Taking Up to $1M Now for Planned Lunar Hotel
Artist’s rendering of GRU Space’s hotel on the Moon. January 2025. (GRU Space website)
A California startup is inviting wealthy adventurers to apply now — and to pay up to $1 million — to reserve a room at what it describes as the first permanent hotel on the Moon.
The company, Galactic Resource Utilization Space (GRU Space), has opened an online application portal for priority access to a proposed lunar hotel that it says could begin operating in the early 2030s.
“This is not space tourism as we know it,” the company says on its website. “Only twelve humans have ever walked on the Moon, and by taking part at this early stage, you join us as we lay the foundations for life beyond Earth.”
How Much Does a Moon Hotel Reservation Cost?
Applicants must first submit a non-refundable application fee of $1,000. If selected, successful applicants will be offered the option to make a refundable reservation deposit between $250,000 and $1,000,000 to secure a spot at the proposed lunar hotel. GRU Space warns that final pricing has not been set but expects the total cost per stay to exceed $10 million once the hotel is operational.
The company also says candidates may need to provide medical, financial and personal documentation to demonstrate they are capable of safely making the journey and maintaining their reservation.
Projected Timeline
GRU Space has released a multi-year timeline for the program:
2026: Applications reviewed
2027: Private auction for specific mission roles and lunar stays
2029: First construction payload lands on the Moon
2031: Lunar habitat and construction systems deployed
Early 2030s: First paying guests expected to arrive
The startup says the initial hotel module would be manufactured on Earth, launched to the lunar surface and inflated into a pressurized habitat. Later phases would expand the settlement by using structures built from lunar regolith (soil).
Who Is Behind the Project?
GRU Space was founded by Skyler Chan, a 22-year-old electrical engineering and computer science graduate from UC Berkeley, who developed the concept while participating in the Y Combinator accelerator, according to Space.com. Chan says the company has attracted funding from investors with ties to SpaceX and Anduril.
“We live during an inflection point where we can actually become interplanetary before we die,” Chan said. “If we succeed, billions of human lives will be born on the Moon and Mars.”
Why Build a Hotel on the Moon?
GRU Space argues that high-end tourism can provide the capital and public interest needed to jump-start a continuous human presence beyond Earth. The company has also published a white paper describing how an initial hotel could evolve into a broader lunar settlement over time.
What Prospective Guests Should Know
Interested applicants should understand the plan is highly speculative and faces substantial technical, regulatory and financial risks. Key milestones such as payload launches, habitat deployment and crewed visits will depend on successful development, testing, launch approvals and funding. Anyone considering applying should read GRU Space’s terms carefully and be prepared for long timelines and potential changes.
For those who want to apply, GRU Space is accepting applications through its website.
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