Three Years of the Kosmos Journey: From a Tent to a Dark Sky Resort

Three years ago today, on my birthday, I zipped myself into a tent on forty acres of empty high-desert land in Mosca, Colorado, and started the Kosmos Journey. This is what that night turned into — and what it hasn't turned into yet.

September 6 is my birthday. In 2023 I spent it with no power, no water hookup, one very good dog, and a launch plan: I would live on the land for 45 days, off-grid, and open the first investment round for Kosmos from the tent. Today, on the third anniversary, that same land holds three off-grid Stargazing Villas, guests have been sleeping under its sky since April 2025, and the property carries a certification that didn't exist in Colorado before us. I wanted to write down, plainly, what changed in three years — because the story is easy to tidy up in hindsight, and it wasn't tidy.

Quick answer: The Kosmos Journey is the founding story of Kosmos Stargazing Resort & Spa in Colorado's San Luis Valley. It began on September 6, 2023, when founder Gamal Jadue Zalaquett camped off-grid on the 40-acre site for 45 days to launch the resort's first investment round. Three years later, Kosmos operates three hempcrete Stargazing Villas, welcomed its first guests on April 23, 2025, and became Colorado's first DarkSky Approved Lodging property in April 2026.

What is the Kosmos Journey?

"The Kosmos Journey" is what we call the whole road from an idea to a working stargazing resort — the part before guests, and the part after. It started long before the tent. I arrived in the San Luis Valley in April 2020, months into the pandemic, and bought the land in December 2020. The county approved our Special Use Permit in February 2023, after a long process. By the summer of 2023 we had a design, a permit, and a valley with some of the darkest skies in the country — and no building.

What we didn't have was proof that anyone would take an off-grid, hempcrete, dark-sky resort seriously enough to fund it. Banks weren't sure about hempcrete. We were. So on my birthday I moved onto the land.

What happened on September 6, 2023?

Two things, on the same day. The camp began: an insulated tent, a shovel, a latrine, my dog, and 7,600 feet of altitude with winter on its way. And the campaign began: from that tent I launched the first investment round — the one that made the crowdfunding possible the following summer. The point of the camp wasn't hardship for its own sake. It was to show, tangibly, that the person asking for money was already living the plan, on the exact ground where the villas would stand.

Forty-five days is long enough to learn what the land actually does. Where the wind comes from. How fast the temperature drops after sunset in October. How dark it really gets — the Milky Way with visible structure, clouds appearing as black holes in the stars, the sky that astronomers rate Bortle Class 2. Every design decision since has been made by someone who has slept out there.

Those weeks are photographed on our About page: the tent on the bare land, the dog in the sleeping bag, the two of us at the dunes. Real photos, real wind.

What has changed in three years?

A timeline, with only the facts:

• September 6, 2023 — The 45-day off-grid camp begins and the first investment round launches from the land.
• July 30, 2024 — The Indiegogo campaign launches after roughly 7,000 people had signed up as VIPs. Across Indiegogo and direct presales it raised $2.27 million — the most funded resort campaign in crowdfunding history.
• April 23, 2025 — The first guests check in to the first Stargazing Villa.
• August 2025 — Alamosa County expands our approval from the original 20 units to 37, matching the full development vision.
• Fall 2025 — Three Stargazing Villas are open, each with its own telescopes.
• April 28, 2026 — Kosmos becomes Colorado's first DarkSky Approved Lodging property, certified by DarkSky International.
• September 6, 2026 — Three years in. Villa 4 and the Welcome Lounge are under construction.

Some things I'm proud of that don't fit on a timeline. The villas are built from hempcrete — hemp and lime — and run 100% off-grid, which is why I started a construction company to build them; that same team now builds natural homes for other people in the valley. The Stargazing Villa went through six design versions before it became the three connected structures guests stay in today: a living dome, a bedroom, and a stargazing spa dome with a private jacuzzi. And every villa has a Celestron Origin and a 10-inch Dobsonian telescope on hand, because a dark sky you can't look into properly is only half the point.

What hasn't changed?

The sky. Kosmos Stargazing Resort & Spa is a sustainable stargazing resort in Mosca, Colorado, on 40 acres in the San Luis Valley at 7,600 feet, 18 minutes from the entrance of Great Sand Dunes National Park. The Sangre de Cristo range still shelters the valley from the light of the Front Range, the east and north borders are still roughly 700 acres of conservation land restricted to sustainable use, and the view of Mt. Blanca is still unobstructed. The certification we earned this spring is a promise that our own lighting will never take that away.

The other thing that hasn't changed is who built this. Nearly 7,000 people believed in a resort that did not exist, and the smaller circle we call the Galactic Club has been on the phone with me through every setback since the tent. Three years in, I still think of this as a resort written by thousands.

What comes next?

We describe Kosmos in three phases, and we use the same names everywhere. Phase 1 — Open Now is what you can book today: three Stargazing Villas, in-villa telescopes, and guided stargazing tours. Villa 4 and the Welcome Lounge are under construction. Phase 2 — What We're Building Next is the build that lets Kosmos operate as a full resort: the Galaxy Villa, an eight-suite building, the Stargazing Park, water treatment, an event space, and a limited spa and gym. Phase 3 — The Full Vision is the Stargazing Center: a one-meter-class telescope and a planetarium, targeted for around 2029. You can read each phase on our Kosmos Phases page.

None of those dates are promises. The tent taught me not to make promises about weather, and building off-grid at 7,600 feet is mostly weather. What I can promise is the same thing I could promise from the sleeping bag: the person asking you to believe in this is still living it.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Kosmos Journey?
The founding story of Kosmos Stargazing Resort & Spa — from the 2020 land purchase in Colorado's San Luis Valley, through the founder's 45-day off-grid camp and investment launch on September 6, 2023, to the resort's opening in 2025 and DarkSky certification in 2026.

When did Kosmos open to guests?
The first guests checked in on April 23, 2025. Three Stargazing Villas were open by fall 2025.

Why did the founder camp on the land for 45 days?
To show investors and the community that the plan was real before any building existed. The camp began on September 6, 2023 and the first investment round was launched from the land during it.

Is Kosmos really off-grid?
Yes. The Stargazing Villas are built from hempcrete and run 100% off-grid at 7,600 feet in Mosca, Colorado.

What is Kosmos certified for?
Kosmos became Colorado's first DarkSky Approved Lodging property on April 28, 2026, a certification from DarkSky International for lodging that protects the night sky.

What is open at Kosmos today, and what is still planned?
Open now: three Stargazing Villas with telescopes and guided stargazing tours. Under construction: Villa 4 and the Welcome Lounge. Planned: the Galaxy Villa, Kosmos Suites, the Stargazing Park, a limited spa and gym, and, in the final phase, the Stargazing Center with a one-meter-class telescope and planetarium.

How far is Kosmos from Great Sand Dunes National Park?
About 18 minutes by road from the resort to the park entrance, and about 30 minutes to the visitor center. Alamosa is about 25 minutes away.

Key takeaways

• The Kosmos Journey began on September 6, 2023 — the founder's birthday — with a 45-day off-grid camp on the land and the launch of the first investment round.
• Since then: a record crowdfunding campaign (July 2024), first guests (April 23, 2025), three villas open (fall 2025), and Colorado's first DarkSky Approved Lodging certification (April 28, 2026).
• The villas are hempcrete and 100% off-grid, at 7,600 feet under Bortle Class 2 skies, 18 minutes from the entrance of Great Sand Dunes National Park.
• Phase 1 is open now; Villa 4 and the Welcome Lounge are under construction; the Galaxy Villa, Kosmos Suites and Stargazing Park are planned; the Stargazing Center is the full vision.

Come see what the tent turned into

The best way to understand three years of work is one night under this sky. Book a Stargazing Villa, join us for a guided stargazing tour, or, if you'd rather read the long version first, start with the story so far.

— Gamal Jadue Zalaquett, founder, Kosmos Stargazing Resort & Spa

Sources

Kosmos Stargazing Resort & Spa, About Us (timeline and 45-day camp photographs); Kosmos announcement, Kosmos Becomes Colorado's First DarkSky Approved Lodging Destination (certificate dated April 28, 2026); DarkSky International, DarkSky Approved Lodging program; Indiegogo campaign update "MOST Funded Resort Campaign in Crowdfunding History"; Alamosa County Special Use Permit (February 2023) and August 2025 amendment.