{"id":17155,"date":"2024-12-05T23:47:42","date_gmt":"2024-12-05T15:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/a-taste-of-space-on-earth-astronaut-training-startup-raises-4m-to-market-way-out-experiences\/"},"modified":"2024-12-05T23:47:42","modified_gmt":"2024-12-05T15:47:42","slug":"a-taste-of-space-on-earth-astronaut-training-startup-raises-4m-to-market-way-out-experiences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/a-taste-of-space-on-earth-astronaut-training-startup-raises-4m-to-market-way-out-experiences\/","title":{"rendered":"A taste of space on Earth: Astronaut training startup raises $4M to market way-out experiences"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Magali-Maricot-Day-1-16-630x420.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-850473\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Magali-Maricot-Day-1-16-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Magali-Maricot-Day-1-16-1260x841.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Magali-Maricot-Day-1-16-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Magali-Maricot-Day-1-16-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Magali-Maricot-Day-1-16-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brienna Rommes, Orbite\u2019s chief astronaut trainer, guides participants in the Astronaut Orientation program through a presentation on spaceflight. (Photo Courtesy of Magali Maricot)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Seattle-based Orbite says that it\u2019s completed a $4 million funding round and sealed a strategic deal with Accor, one of the world\u2019s leading hospitality companies, to advance its plans for offering space-oriented experiences on Earth.<\/p>\n<p>Those experiences include luxury travel packages to exotic destinations such as Paris, the Caribbean island of Cura\u00e7ao and Antarctica. Orbite (which takes its name from the French word for \u201corbit,\u201d pronounced or-beet) is also aiming to build a campus on Florida\u2019s Space Coast that would serve as a center for spaceflight training.<\/p>\n<p>All of the experiences have a space angle to them: For example, the Paris package focuses on space foods and life in space habitats. One of the Cura\u00e7ao offerings features submersible trips as an analog for spaceflight. And the Antarctica trip lets visitors feel as if they\u2019re on a \u201cglamping\u201d trip on Mars.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t want to say this is space camp for adults,\u201d Orbite CEO Jason Andrews told GeekWire. \u201cThis isn\u2019t made-up entertainment. This is an actual luxury vacation where you get to try elements of astronaut training \u2014 real astronaut training \u2014 so there\u2019s a high level of authenticity to it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Orbite - Dream, Train, Fly\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Sc1VgknE1Ts?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Prices start at $19,500 for a three-day session in Paris, and range up to a minimum cost of $215,000 for the eight-day Antarctica trip. \u201cIt\u2019s in line for a luxury vacation for our target clientele, but it\u2019s unique in that you learn a lot about space, elements of astronaut training and what it\u2019s like to live in space,\u201d said Andrews, who previously served as the CEO of Spaceflight Industries.<\/p>\n<p>The target clientele includes some participants who may be considering the idea of traveling to the final frontier with, say, Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture, or Virgin Galactic, or SpaceX. Others may merely be interested in an earthbound vacation that has a space angle.<\/p>\n<p>In the years since its founding in 2019, Orbite has conducted several spaceflight orientation sessions for small groups of clients \u2014 sessions that included virtual-reality simulations as well as zero-G and high-G airplane flights. The expanded schedule is due to kick off next spring, Andrews said.<\/p>\n<p>Orbite\u2019s partnership with Accor is a key part of the business plan. \u201cWe are developing a luxury space experience \/ astronaut training facility, and so it makes sense to have a strategic partner \u2014 a hospitality partner who can help bring some of the processes as well as the global reach to drive growth and demand for that facility,\u201d Andrews said.<\/p>\n<p>Agnes Roquefort, head of development for Accor Luxury &amp; Lifestyle, said Accor \u201chas always been at the forefront of creating transformative hospitality experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are excited to partner with Orbite to pioneer a new frontier in space hospitality, offering our customers a unique opportunity to explore space while fostering a deeper connection to the well-being of Earth,\u201d Roquefort said in a news release.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/WhiteDesert-BasecampEcho-630x420.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-850562\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/WhiteDesert-BasecampEcho-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/WhiteDesert-BasecampEcho-1260x840.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/WhiteDesert-BasecampEcho-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/WhiteDesert-BasecampEcho-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/WhiteDesert-BasecampEcho-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of White Desert\u2019s luxury pods at Echo Base overlooks the Antarctic plains, where Orbite will simulate the harsh realities of life in space. (Photo Courtesy of White Desert)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Andrews said Accor participated in the $4 million Series A funding round, but he declined to identify other investors. \u201cWe describe our investors as family offices, and wealthy and high-net-worth individuals,\u201d he said. Some of the funding has come from Andrews himself and from his co-founder, Nicolas Gaume, who serves as Orbite\u2019s executive chairman.<\/p>\n<p>Gaume said \u201cwe really have invested into having the best in terms of training and experience, and we surely also surround ourselves with amazing advisers.\u201d Orbite\u2019s advisers include retired NASA astronaut Charlie Precourt and former NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver.<\/p>\n<p>The training sessions will be presented by in-house experts as well as astronauts and other experts on facets of spaceflight, ranging from medicine to mealtimes. One of Orbite\u2019s recent private gatherings to preview the new \u201cExperience Train Fly Program\u201d included a presentation on space food by J\u00e9r\u00f4me Lacressonni\u00e8re, who\u2019s the director of famed French chef Alain Ducasse\u2019s consultant firm, Gaume said. Ducasse Conseil has been charged with coming up with space menus for the European Space Agency and CNES, France\u2019s space studies center.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s taken longer than Orbite\u2019s founders expected to ramp up operations. The current projection is that the gateway campus in the Cape Canaveral area will be open for business in 2027 <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full-width\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Orbite-Zen-ZeroG-630x420.jpg\" alt=\"Participants float during zero-G flight\" class=\"wp-image-850566\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Orbite-Zen-ZeroG-630x420.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Orbite-Zen-ZeroG-1260x840.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Orbite-Zen-ZeroG-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Orbite-Zen-ZeroG-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Orbite-Zen-ZeroG-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"wp-element-caption\">Astronaut Orientation participants experience weightlessness during a zero-G airplane flight guided by Chief Astronaut Trainer Brienna Rommes, who led them through spaceflight training exercises. (Orbite Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Andrews said rising interest rates have complicated the financing plan for building the campus. \u201cGiven the interest rate environment, it\u2019s been challenging in the United States for all development activity,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a macro problem, it\u2019s not an Orbite problem, but we\u2019re still making progress on that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The other factor has to do with SpaceX\u2019s Starship super-rocket, which is expected to widen the market for spaceflight \u2014 including the space tourism market. The test program for Starship is taking longer than originally projected, which means Orbite is still waiting for the demand to kick into higher gear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNicolas and I started Orbite because of a long-term vision for what this new space economy is going to be, and we also really believed that that vision wasn\u2019t going to be achieved until Starship was operational,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cMaybe we were a little early in 2019 when we started the company, but at the same time, I think we\u2019re super excited that we are where we are from an industry perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last month, SpaceX put its Starship launch system through its sixth flight test, and the tempo of the tests could soon accelerate. At a recent investment conference, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said she \u201cwould not be surprised if we fly 400 Starship launches in the next four years.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s music to the ears of Andrews and Gaume.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think now is the time,\u201d Andrews said. \u201cI think this investment marks recognition by some pioneering investors that this is going to be big, and that it\u2019s the right time and place to get involved.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brienna Rommes, Orbite\u2019s chief astronaut trainer, guides participants in the Astronaut Orientation program through a presentation on spaceflight. (Photo Courtesy of Magali Maricot) Seattle-based Orbite says that it\u2019s completed a $4 million funding round and sealed a strategic deal with Accor, one of the world\u2019s leading hospitality companies, to advance its plans for offering space-oriented [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4463,4326,493,4329,4464,4465],"class_list":["post-17155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-accor","tag-orbite","tag-space-tourism","tag-startups","tag-training","tag-travel"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17155"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}