Japanese company plans to launch 1-hour transport service connecting US, Japan via space

By Berk Kutay Gokmen

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Japanese travel agency says it plans to launch a point-to-point transport service in the 2030s that would connect Tokyo with US cities like New York in just 60 minutes via outer space, Kyodo News Agency reported Wednesday.

The service, developed in collaboration with a reusable rocket development startup, will cost a customer 100 million yen ($657,000) for a round-trip ticket.

The vehicle would take off from an offshore location and could link any two points on Earth within 60 minutes, according to the companies. They hope to link Tokyo with the US.

"We hope this business will be a new starting point to connect space travel and tourism," Keigo Yoshida, president of Nippon Travel, said during a press conference in Tokyo.

Advanced applications for the service will start being accepted in fiscal 2026.

The project will unfold in phases, with space-food tastings and tours of related ground facilities starting in 2026, and orbital stays expected to launch in the 2040s.

As part of the partnership, Nippon Travel will be responsible for designing and marketing related products.

Kojiro Hatada, president of the Tokyo-based startup Innovative Space Carrier Inc., said his company aims to reduce travel costs by increasing the number of flights possible in each vehicle's lifespan.