Japan-based space tourism
is about to become a reality

As you aim to achieve Japan's first civilian space tourism trip, could you tell us why and how you chose a unique method like gas balloons?

The trigger for this dates back to 2011. I majored in space engineering at Hokkaido University because I wanted to work in something related to space. However, I learned that rocket development requires hundreds of billions of yen in capital and must be done on a large scale. Operating a rocket is extremely difficult as well. This made me painfully aware that it would be impossible for an individual to do it on their own.

Instead of giving up, however, I came to realize the potential of gas balloons as a method immediately accessible to students. The principles are much simpler than a rocket’s, so balloons are easier to build, and they have many benefits in terms of cost, complexity, and size of scale of development. My first goal was to send a camera up with a balloon and take pictures of the Earth from space.

I started development in my fourth year of university and completed the first balloon in 2012 after graduation. This gave me positive results because it was able to reach an altitude of 10km. In the same year, I successfully took photographs from 33km above the Earth.

Although they are cheaper than rockets, there must have been many difficulties in terms of technology and regulations.

There certainly were. We had to overcome many obstacles to get this far. The first was to create the balloon, and the next was to improve the certainty so that we could fly and recover the balloon according to plan. It took four years to make 100 out of 100 flights successful.

After that came the problem of scaling up. I expanded my personal research into high altitude balloons and established Iwaya Inc in 2016. Since then we’ve been working on developing cabins people can ride in, in addition to the balloons themselves.

In the process, we ran into three walls: safety, peace of mind, and outer space.
Firstly, the balloon had to be capable of taking off and landing safely and with certainty. If it fell with passengers inside, it would definitely result in fatalities.
To solve that, we repeated takeoff and landing tests from an altitude of 50 meters many times, and we have conducted 35 manned tests to date. I myself boarded the machine, and we overcame the "wall of safety" through extreme caution.

The "wall of peace of mind" refers to accurately controlling the course of the flight, and predicting landing points to avoid roads and high-voltage lines. By "wall of outer space", I mean measures to keep the cabin airtight in a vacuum environment. We increased the certainty of all of these through repeated testing.

Having overcome these walls, this February we announced our plans to launch four-hour manned flights that will reach an altitude of 25km. Our plan is to recruit passengers for phase one by August and successfully conduct the space tourism trips with five ordinary participants sometime in fiscal 2023^*1.

*1 Changed to July 2024 schedule

In preparation for
commercialization:
creating a comfortable
space experience

Having overcome the technological hurdles, what challenges are you facing now?

The main challenge would be commercialization. There are several major obstacles that prevent us from mass-producing the machine and bringing this experience to many people.

We specialize in the technology, but what is required is figuring out how to create what we are calling the "space experience". For balloon flights, you need to avoid bad weather and wait for a day when the wind is calm, which means you need to buffer time of around a week before and after the scheduled flight. We have partnered with travel company JTB to increase customer satisfaction during their stay in the launch area. On top of safety training, we are developing activities to deepen their understanding of space.

Our goal is to be the motivation for people to step into new realms. I feel that although technology is progressing at unprecedented speed, many people are still not aware of the full potential of technology. Space presents an amazing opportunity, even if only in terms of helping people to understand the awesomeness of technology.

What made you set your sights on space in the first place?

I had a formative experience in kindergarten. I read a picture book about a space station and was deeply moved by the idea that the power of science could be used to exceed terrestrial limits and visit unknown worlds. I’ve been fascinated by space ever since.

However, my goal isn't to go to space myself but rather to open the door to space for others. As the first step to doing that, I've found an answer in the form of balloons.

I want to perfect the systems needed to send passengers to an altitude where they can look down on the Earth and then bring them back down safely again. Once the systems are perfected, I’d like to leave everything else for others to develop and polish further. After all, I'm just a scientist and an engineer, so I tend to be satisfied with simple forms [laughs]. For example, how can we improve the cabin comfort in response to customer feedback? How can we design a cabin spacious enough for six passengers?

The development race in the space industry, particularly the rocket industry, is heating up. What’s the situation like for balloons?

In the past 10 years, around 10 companies have entered the industry in Japan, but many of them have since withdrawn. There are various reasons for that, but I think it's because they failed to manage the safety aspects unique to balloons.

Airplanes and helicopters gain dynamic lift from their motive power, but according to the laws of physics, an aircraft heavier than air must fall. However, since gas balloons are lighter than air, they rise naturally, like a rubber duck floating in a bathtub. That is what makes balloons special.

Co-creation as a means
of democratizing space

How broadly would you like to increase the number of flights and the range of passengers in the future?

We have begun recruiting passengers for phase one, targeting people between the ages of 12 and 65. We plan on adjusting other conditions depending on how things go, but we should be able to expand that range. That's because a balloon launch is much gentler compared to a rocket launch, and the change in Gs (gravitational acceleration) is miniscule. The best thing about balloons is that a wide range of people can ride them because the flight doesn’t place much strain on the body.

It's estimated that demand for space travel has reached 10 million people per year worldwide. Even if launch sites were established worldwide and many balloons took people up every day, the number who could ride them annually would only be in the tens of thousands at best.

But to put things into perspective: half a century has passed since manned rocket development began, and the number of people who have been to space is less than 500. By making space tourism possible with balloons, that number will increase by a few digits. The dawn of a new era is upon us.

So that means the overview effect^*2 that space travelers often mention will be experienced by many more people. Sony is also involved in space inspiration project "STAR SPHERE" initiatives where we try to give people opportunities to experience space more personally.

Indeed, space has the power to affect not only those who experience it but also the people and industries around it. I’d be thrilled if we could work together somehow.

In fact, we launched the Open Universe Project in February this year to make such collaborations possible. It’s a co-creation project aimed at the democratization of space, which means making space accessible to everyone. We will collaborate with JTB and other partner companies in various areas to build a completely new space experience.

*2 Overview effect: a phenomenon where great changes occur in one's consciousness and view of space as a result of the normally impossible experience of looking down on the Earth from space.

Expanding co-creation between companies will lead to greater development of technologies such as those related to data transmission.

That's right. It is significantly easier to track balloons from the ground and to transmit data from the sky using them compared with artificial satellites. Low orbit artificial satellites move at high speed, so the window for direct communication with a specific location on Earth is limited to the few minutes when they pass directly overhead. Balloons don’t have that restriction. Streaming live images from a panoramic camera on top of the cabin or from inside the cabin are some possibilities.

I hope more people will ride our balloons, experience space, and co-create new space experiences with us.

(Interview took place on May 25, 2023 at Iwaya Inc's headquarters)

Interviewer's comment Miki Nagatani, Strategic Planner / Design Researcher
Creative Center, Sony Group Corporation

Mr. Iwaya has been pursuing his dream of going to space since he was a child and has arrived at the "Gas balloons" solution. He is steadily and carefully overcoming the "wall of safety, peace of mind, and outer space," and is opening up an era in which anyone can go to space. I was impressed by his passion for balloon space tourism, his sense of responsibility to create a new common sense for the next generation, and his leadership in co-creating with other companies to further democratize space.
We also hope to contribute to the new space experiences people desire through STAR SPHERE project.