Iwaya Giken, a Japanese space technology startup based in Sapporo, unveils its commercial spacecraft due to launch later this year.

Work on the Spaceship has been ongoing since 2012. It includes a 1.5 m wide hermetic cabin with two seats: for the pilot and for the passenger. It is carried by a helium-powered balloon, which the company claims can ascend to a height of 24 km, right into the middle of the stratosphere. At this altitude (higher than the one at which a jet plane can fly), passengers will be able to admire the view of space and the Earth.

Starting from the balloon port in Hokkaido, the spacecraft will ascend for two hours, hover for another hour, and then make an hour-long descent to earth. The spacecraft is only intended to fly over Japanese land and airspace.

The president of Iwaya emphasized that customers do not need to have billions in their account to be able to fly into space. No intensive training or knowledge of a specialized language is required either.

When the space balloon is launched later this year, it will cost around $180,000 to fly, but Iwaya assures that the price will eventually fall to tens of thousands.

Those interested in the first flights can apply until the end of August and the first five passengers will be selected in October.

Author: Patrycja Bodzek-Kurzyńska

Photo: East News