As reported by Ukrinform, this was reported by the AP.

“It’s safe, affordable and easy for humans. The idea is to make space tourism accessible to everyone,” said Keisuke Iwaya, the company’s managing director. He added that he wanted to “democratize space.”

Iwaya said passengers don’t need to be billionaires, have extensive training, or have knowledge of the language (Japanese – ed.) to fly a rocket.

Iwaya Giken company has been working on the project since 2012. The team members developed a two-person enclosed cabin and a balloon that can glide up to 25 kilometers high, where the Earth’s curve is clearly visible. The craft will be powered by reusable helium.

It was noted that the balloon only rose to about the middle of the stratosphere, so the passengers would not be in space. However, they will be higher than a jet plane and have a clear view of space.

According to company representatives, flights will operate safely over Japanese territory or airspace.

The balloon will take off from a port in Hokkaido, reach its maximum altitude in two hours, and stay there for an hour before descending for an hour. Shaped like a drum with a diameter of 1.5 meters, the plastic cabinet has several large windows that allow you to see the space above or the Earth below.

The first trip is scheduled for the end of this year.

The cost of the commercial journey would initially be 24 million yen (US$180,000), but Iwaya said the price will eventually drop to several million yen (tens of thousands of US dollars).

Applications for the space attraction, which started on Tuesday, will continue until the end of August. The top five selected passengers will be announced in October and flights will operate approximately a week later, depending on the weather.

British billionaire Richard Branson’s VMS Eve aircraft, owned by Virgin Galactic, made its first flight since October 2021, Ukrinform reported.

Photo: “Takahiro Sakamoto”