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A Japanese travel agency said on Tuesday it will launch a point-to-point transport service in the 2030s that would connect Tokyo and US cities like New York in 60 minutes via outer space. The service, which Nippon Travel Agency plans to offer in partnership with a reusable rocket development start-up, would cost a customer 100 million yen (US$657,000) for a round trip. The transport vehicle would be launched from an offshore spot and could connect any two points on Earth within 60 minutes, according to the companies. They hope to link Tokyo and the United States. “We hope this business will be a new starting point to connect space travel and tourism,” Nippon Travel president Keigo Yoshida said at a news conference in Tokyo. Advance applications will be accepted starting in the 2026 financial year. The project is expected to proceed in stages, with space-food tasting and tours of ground facilities related to space beginning in the 2026 financial year and a service launched in the 2040s to offer stays in orbit. Under the partnership, Nippon Travel will design and market related products. Kojiro Hatada, president of the Tokyo-based start-up Innovative Space Carrier, said his company will seek to lower the travel cost by boosting the number of flights possible in each vehicle’s lifespan.
