This $5-billion Moon-themed Resort Is Coming to Las Vegas — Complete With an 'Active Lunar Colony' and Spaceship Nightclub

Space tourism is slowly becoming a reality with billionaires making seemingly regular visits to the stars and the world's first space hotel planned to make its debut in 2027. Despite the promising progress, it may take a while before space tourism is available at a more accessible price point.

So what's the next best thing in the meantime? Perhaps this new moon-shaped hotel coming to the Las Vegas Strip.

Canadian-based company Moon World Resorts Inc. has announced plans for a $5 billion, 5.5-million-square-foot hotel whose signature feature will be a replica of the moon standing at 735 feet tall and 650 feet wide.

The replica will only be 1/75,000 the size of the moon, but that's large enough to accommodate 4,000 guest rooms and suites. Plans for Moon Resorts Las Vegas also include a 75,000-square-foot spa, 50,000-square-feet of food and beverage offerings, 75,000-square-feet of retail, and 150,00-square-feet of clubs and lounges.

For entertainment, guests can look forward to a 2,500-seat theater, a planetarium, a 5,000-seat event center, a 10,000-seat arena, and, of course, a casino. Adding to the moon-theme will also be a nightclub that will be positioned directly under a "spaceship" and will beam lights down on guests, the Daily Mail reported.

However, the main highlight of the property will be the "active lunar colony."

The colony, which will be in the upper half of the sphere, will "precisely mimic those [lunar colonies] now under serious active planning by Nasa, ESA, and many others." And for $500, visitors can spend 90 minutes exploring the 10-acre space, using a "moon buggy" to pass over the craters.

Even just accessing this main attraction will be an adventure, with guests riding a rollercoaster-like "moon shuttle" that circles the exterior of the hotel suites on its way up to the lunar colony.

"People want something unique, something different, something 'Wow,'" Michael Henderson, co-founder of Moon World Resorts, Inc., told The New York Post. "Space flights cost $200,000 to $250,000 — so the masses just can't participate. With Moon [World Resorts], for $500, they can walk on an authentic lunar surface and enjoy exploring a lunar colony in a spectacular way."

Moon Resorts Las Vegas will take about four years to build and is one of four lunar-themed properties planned to open around the world in 2026 or 2027. Beyond this Las Vegas property, others are planned for the Middle East, China, and Spain.

Jessica Poitevien is a Travel + Leisure contributor currently based in South Florida, but always on the lookout for the next adventure. Besides traveling, she loves baking, talking to strangers, and taking long walks on the beach. Follow her adventures on Instagram.