ANA Joins Efforts to Start Space Trips as Possible Virgin Rival

  • Airline and travel agent H.I.S. invested in PD Aerospace
  • PD Aerospace plans to start manned space trips in 2023

Shinya Katanozaka.

Photographer: Yuriko Nakao/Bloomberg
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ANA Holdings Inc. invested in PD Aerospace Ltd., a Japanese company developing a craft to take people into space as early as 2023 that aims to be a potential rival to Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Ltd.

The airline, Japan’s largest by sales, invested 20.4 million yen ($179,000) into PD Aerospace in October, while H.I.S. Co., the nation’s largest publicly listed travel agent by sales, invested 30 million yen at the same time, the companies said in a joint statement with PD Aerospace Thursday.