Bezos wants to build a private space station

[Brian G Turner]

As the title says:

Bezos' Blue Origin announces plans for private space station

Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin on Monday announced it wants to launch a space station that will house up to 10 people in the second half of the decade, as the race to commercialize the cosmos heats up.

phys.org

Unlike some of the press releases we see about space development, this one may be one of the more likely to actually go ahead.

 

[Lumens]

I've long dreamt of having a centrifugal swimming pool in space with a glass floor so you can look out through the water while swimming in loops. Perhaps I should pitch that idea to him...

 

[Valtharius]

Will it have a bookstore?

 

[Elckerlyc]

"We will expand access, lower the cost, and provide all the services and amenities needed to normalize space flight." Big words, but he isn't even close to any of these targets. Until now Jeff Bezos hasn't accomplished much beyond sub-orbital flights with his New Shepard spacecraft. The only thing he's exceptionally good at is suing competitors.
He is years behind with the development of his New Glenn rocket en BE-4 engine. He may have the support of Boeing, but that company isn't very successful itself lately, having trouble with 737MAX planes and the Starliner space-capsule, suffering another setback recently.

Though it might be successful as a station for research and such, will it work as a hotel? How many paying customers would it need to be commercially viable? How many people are there with the health and enough money and the burning desire to buy a ticket to this spatial resort? Building, launching and assembling this thing in space will take a really huge investment.
In other words, I'm skeptical. It would be nice if it succeeds, don't get me wrong, but I doubt it. Wrong person, wrong approach.

 

[Parson]

In other words, I'm skeptical. It would be nice if it succeeds, don't get me wrong, but I doubt it. Wrong person, wrong approach.

And almost certainly decades too soon. But if we can survive and keep technology long enough I expect it will happen.

 

[Ray Zdybrow]

See ya Jeff! Don't forget to write!

 

[BAYLOR]

I think he could do it .

 

[Toby Frost]

Hey, Jeff! Stop trying to hide from Earth and use some of your trillions to make it better down here, you William Gibson villain!

 

[Wayne Mack]

Would that make the station a No-AirBNB?

 

[StilLearning]

NASA in the post ISS era would be the anchor customer I suspect, although there will be others. So a lot depends if the ISS runs until 2028, 2030, or 2040... or if the Russians mange to spin the place so hard it falls apart in the next few years...,. A Soyuz Craft Tilted The International Space Station Off Orbit, Again

 

[Astro Pen]

Funny coincidence that, I was planning something similar - but lower altitude.
So far I have two sleeping bags under the skylight in the loft.

 

[StilLearning]

Funny coincidence that...

I have a first floor flat, and it has an attic. But I don't have a skylight

 

[Eternity_TARO]

And almost certainly decades too soon. But if we can survive and keep technology long enough I expect it will happen.

I actually think we are decades too late. Given we went to the moon in the 60s, humankind should be way further along in our space development than we are now. It is shameful we collectively took trillions of dollars (nuclear missiles) and essentially buried them in the ground.
We should have a lunar colony and several space stations and even a colony on an asteroid by now.