A new space startup, GRU Space, has announced ambitious plans to build habitable structures on the Moon — including a luxury hotel inspired by San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts. The company has already opened a reservation window, inviting prospective space tourists to place deposits ranging from $250,000 to $1 million for missions planned to launch in about six years.
Founded by recent UC Berkeley graduate Skyler Chan and backed by Y Combinator, GRU Space (Galactic Resource Utilization) aims to establish space tourism as a “third pillar” of lunar activity, alongside government missions and commercial operations. Chan believes long-term human presence in space depends on creating real destinations rather than temporary spacecraft stays.
“SpaceX is building the FedEx to get us there,” Chan said, “but there has to be a destination worthy of staying in.” He added that humanity’s progress toward the Moon and Mars depends on building permanent infrastructure, much like roads and cities on Earth.
Despite its small team, GRU Space has outlined a detailed roadmap. A demonstration mission planned for 2029 will send a 10-kilogram payload to the Moon to test inflatable structures and a process for turning lunar soil into construction-grade “Moon bricks.” A larger follow-up mission will focus on developing resources inside a lunar pit.
The company aims to launch its first inflatable lunar hotel by 2032, designed to host four guests. While major challenges such as radiation protection and life-support systems remain, Chan says creating an attractive destination is key to building a sustainable space economy.
GRU Space will further develop its technology and business strategy this year through participation in Y Combinator’s accelerator program.
