Japan startup unveils space viewing tour on balloon flight

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese startup is planning to launch commercial space viewing balloon flights that it hopes will bring an otherwise astronomically expensive experience down to Earth. In the tour’s unveiling Tuesday, the company said it has developed an airtight two-seat cabin and a balloon capable of rising to a 15-mile altitude. That puts passengers in roughly the middle of the stratosphere, where they’ll be higher than a jet plane flies and have an unobstructed view of space. Japanese space ventures have fallen behind American companies like SpaceX, which launched three rich businessmen and their astronaut escort to the International Space Station in April for $55 million each. Iwaya Giken aims to make its trips more attainable, with initial flights costing around $180,000.