Nippon Travel Agency wants to launch suborbital transport between Tokyo and New York in 60 minutes, with fares of 100 million yen for a round trip and applications opening from fiscal 2026. Robbie Hodges reports

Nippon Travel Agency has announced plans to develop a suborbital transport service that would carry passengers between Tokyo and New York in 60 minutes. The project is being developed in partnership with Tokyo-based start-up Innovative Space Carrier Inc., which is working on reusable rocket technology designed to support repeated operations and lower costs over time.

Beyond speed, the concept taps into a deeper shift in traveller motivation. Interest appears to be growing in the “Overview Effect” – the altered sense of perspective and renewed appreciation for humankind reported by those who have seen the curvature of the Earth from space. As access to near-space experiences expands – propelled by missions such as Artemis II – this sense of awe is beginning to influence what people seek from travel itself. As Jenny Southan, editor and founder of Globetrender, noted in a recent dispatch of VOLT: “It’s no longer enough to simply go somewhere beautiful; people want to feel different when they return. That’s the real legacy of moments like Artemis II.”

Nippon Travel Agency's proposed service is based on point-to-point suborbital transport, meaning travellers would leave Earth’s surface on a rocket-powered vehicle, travel through the upper atmosphere and return to the ground at their destination. According to the companies, the vehicle would launch from an offshore site and would eventually be able to connect any two places on Earth within an hour. Tokyo to New York is being presented as one example of how the concept could work in practice.

A round trip is expected to cost about 100 million yen per passenger, or roughly US$657,000 based on the figures released by the companies. But the announcement points to a wider ambition than luxury travel alone, with the technology ultimately impacting not only long-haul passenger journeys but also how cargo and business move between continents.

The rollout is expected to happen in stages. Applications for the service are due to open in fiscal 2026, although commercial passenger flights are not expected until the 2030s. Before that, people who sign up will be offered ground-based experiences linked to the programme. These will include space food tastings, educational programmes and tours of related facilities.

Meanwhile, full orbital stays are planned for the 2040s, showing that the partnership is looking beyond fast Earth-to-Earth transport and towards a broader space tourism offer. In that sense, the Tokyo-New York suborbital transport concept is being framed as one step in a much larger commercial roadmap.

For the travel industry, the plan is notable because it brings together a traditional travel company and a rocket start-up in a way that blurs the line between aviation, tourism and space infrastructure. It also reflects growing interest in whether future travel markets will include new kinds of ultra-fast transport for a small group of wealthy customers before wider adoption becomes possible.