Space tourism is growing rapidly, and the future of commercial space stations is becoming an increasingly concrete reality. We are in a time of transition between research-focused and commercial space missions, in which the role of the astronaut is also destined to evolve. Together with Virgin Galactic, one of the major leaders in space tourism and a partner in the project, we imagined new hospitality and wellness experiences within an Earth-orbiting space hotel, an inflatable module attached to the SpaceShip shuttle.

The design solutions combine emotional and functional aspects, integrating sustainability with emerging technologies to offer multi-sensory experiences. These experiences reinvent conviviality and entertainment, transforming weightlessness into a distinctive element to create extraordinary and unrepeatable moments, impossible to experience on Earth. They also offer the opportunity to admire our planet from the outside, from a privileged perspective, allowing one to experience the intense and transformative “overview effect”.

One of the most complex aspects of life in microgravity is the change in human physiology: movements, sensory perceptions and everyday gestures undergo profound alterations. This new context requires Space Design to rethink not only spaces, but also the shape and behaviours of weightless objects. The most fascinating challenge was to explore the new shapes of water in Space, in collaboration with Jacuzzi. The designs for a Space SPA experience offer innovative solutions, in which water is proposed in different state variants, from solid to gaseous, to investigate its behaviours in the absence of gravity. These multi-sensory experiences not only stimulate all the senses, but also suggest new gestures and interactions that are only possible in Space.