Building the first hotel on the Moon — targeting 2032. GRU Space uses in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to turn lunar regolith into building material, eliminating the need to ship construction supplies from Earth. Air Force-trained pilot at 16, UC Berkeley EECS graduate, former Tesla vehicle software engineer, and builder of a NASA-funded 3D printer that launched into space on Virgin Galactic. Accepted into Y Combinator as its youngest solo space founder at 21. The roadmap: a 2029 demo mission to manufacture bricks from lunar soil, followed by laying foundations in a lunar cave, and opening for space tourists by 2032. Long-term vision includes building America's first Moon base and eventually the first cities on Mars.
Episode featuring Skyler Chan will be out soon.
GRU Space (Galactic Resource Utilization Space, Inc.) is building the first hotel on the Moon, with a target opening in 2032. They use in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) to turn lunar soil into building materials called Moon bricks using geopolymer chemistry, so they don't have to ship construction supplies from Earth.
They've developed a process for transforming lunar regolith into durable building materials using geopolymer chemistry, a low-temperature method that uses mineral-based binders without water or high-energy input. The first hotel (V1) is an inflatable structure built on Earth and deployed on the surface. V2 will add lunar-derived concrete shielding and expand capacity from 4 to 10 guests.
Guests would stay for about five nights, with activities like guided moonwalks, lunar rover driving, low-gravity golf, and surface exploration. Everything is supported by trained professionals and life-support systems. The hotel offers views of both the lunar landscape and Earth. Guests have to pass strict medical, financial, and training requirements.
In 2029, a demo mission will test an inflatable structure and ISRU brick-making on the surface via a CLPS lander. In 2031, a larger payload deploys a subscale habitat inside a lunar pit to start laying the foundation. The first hotel opens in 2032 for up to 4 guests. Longer term, they want to build America's first Moon base and eventually expand to Mars.
Skyler is a 22-year-old Canadian founder who became an Air Force-trained pilot at 16, graduated early from UC Berkeley EECS, built vehicle software at Tesla, and created a NASA-funded 3D printer that flew to space. He was accepted into Y Combinator W26 as the youngest solo space founder at 21.
GRU Space (YC W26) is backed by Y Combinator and NVIDIA GPU Ventures. They're part of NVIDIA's Inception Program, which gives them access to AI and GPU tech for simulations and resource modeling. Investors affiliated with SpaceX and Anduril have also backed the company. They've started accepting $250,000 to $1M refundable deposits for reservations, with a $10,000 non-refundable application fee.
The bigger plan is to build America's first Moon base with roads, mass drivers, warehouses, and real infrastructure. After that, they want to repeat the ISRU approach on Mars and eventually build the first cities there. The name says it all: Galactic Resource Utilization.
Founder & CEO at GRU Space
