Orbite, formed by entrepreneurs Jason Andrews and Nicolas Gaume, announced plans to develop the first “Spaceflight Gateway and Astronaut Training Complex” for commercial astronaut training. Orbite provides state-of-the-art astronaut preparation across all types of vehicles as well as luxury accommodations, dining, and recreation for future commercial astronauts, their friends & families, and other Orbite customers.
Jason Andrews founded Andrews Space in 1999, Spaceflight in 2010, BlackSky in 2013, and subsequently integrated all three businesses under Spaceflight Industries in 2015. “It’s been clear during my two-plus decades in this industry that commercial human spaceflight was going to happen,” explains Andrews, “There are now four new human-capable vehicles going into operation this year. The 2020s will be the decade of commercial human spaceflight.”
Nicolas Gaume is a serial entrepreneur and a long-time space enthusiast who has founded or co-founded nine startups in technology & media. He currently leads Space Cargo Unlimited and is actively involved in the Gaume family real estate and hospitality activities, located in the Bay of Arcachon, France. “I have a passion for space and luxury hospitality, and I am thrilled to combine both in creating the only Spaceflight Gateway and Astronaut Training Complex. This will be the place to experience and train for space!”
Sophie Stabile is also joining the Orbite team as CFO. Ms. Stabile brings extensive hospitality experience as a former Chief Executive Officer of Hotels Services France and Switzerland (within AccorHotels Group) from 2015 to 2017. Prior to this position, she was CFO of Accor Hotels Group and a member of the Accor Hotels’ Executive Committee.
“As SpaceX has successfully demonstrated, commercial human spaceflight will become increasingly available to a variety of customers. Other great companies like Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, Axiom, and others will begin passenger operations within the next few years. Orbite aims to become the social nexus to train and accommodate these future sub-orbital and orbital space travelers. Our emphasis will be to create a unique, exclusive, and inspiring experience for these future space explorers,” ends Gaume and Andrews.
Orbite will begin operations in the United States and Europe, potentially expanding based on market opportunities and space transportation operations. Training will begin in late 2021, with plans to open the Spaceflight Gateway and Astronaut Training complex in 2023, at a location to be disclosed next year.
