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A Japanese startup for space tourism claims it aims to "democratize space."  It plans to take customers to high altitudes. And they won’t be using rockets, but helium balloons. The journey will take passengers high enough to see the curvature of the earth. 

The startup named Iwaya Giken, announced plans Tuesday to launch commercial space-viewing balloon flights. And hopes to bring an otherwise astronomically expensive experience down to Earth.

The company CEO, Keisuke Iwaya, says that space tourism should be accessible to everyone. The first trip is planned as early as later this year.

 And regardless of their financial standing or training, he wants to democratize space.

The project has been in development since 2012. The company has teamed up with the major Japanese travel agency JTB Corp, which plans to collaborate on the project as soon as it is ready for commercial trips. 

The airtight two-seat cabin is attached to a balloon that can rise up to an altitude of 25 kilometers (15 miles). The design allows passengers to have an unobstructed view of outer space.

The drum-shaped plastic cabin is 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) in diameter. And several large windows allow a view of space above or the Earth below. 

Japanese startup aims to make space affordable

The balloon, which can carry a pilot and a passenger, would take off from a balloon port in Hokkaido, rise for two hours, stay at an altitude of 25 kilometers for one hour, and then descend for another hour.

Unlike a rocket or traditional hot air balloon, Iwaya Giken’s vessel will be lifted by helium. And it is reusable for this purpose. Flights should be able to safely stay above Japanese territory or airspace.

 Although it does not actually go into low-orbit space, it flies higher than a jet plane.

Initially, a flight would cost about 24 million yen ($180,000), but Iwaya hopes to eventually bring the cost down to several million yen (tens of thousands of dollars).

Applications for the space viewing ride opened on Tuesday and will continue through the end of August. The first five passengers selected will be announced in October, and flights will be approximately a week apart, depending on the weather.

Japanese space ventures need to catch up to US companies. SpaceX recently launched three rich businessmen and an astronaut to the International Space Station for $55 million each. 

Iwaya believes that his aim to make space more reachable will help to bridge the gap. And better represent Japan in the space race.

The company hopes that the project will make space tourism more accessible and affordable and help to bring a new level of excitement and curiosity about space to people around the world.