TOKYO — Travel agency JTB Corp will launch Japan's first space travel insurance next April. A joint venture between JTB and American International Group Inc has cooperated with Lloyds Japan Co to develop the insurance, the premium for which could be around 7% of an insured amount against 0.03% for conventional overseas travel insurance products, JTB said.
JTB has been offering space travel plans since October 2005, including a 12 billion yen trip to the moon, a 3 billion yen trip to the International Space Station, which is currently under construction, as well as a 12 million yen trip to experience space around 100 kilometers above the earth's surface. So far, 11 people have applied for the 12 million yen trip. (Kyodo News) (Link)
I, for one, am glad to see that JTB is looking for new insurance horizons. And while no, it ain't cheap (and I'd hate to see what the deductible will be) I'll rest easier knowing that my space travels are covered in case of an accident.
Question: does the insurance cover hostile alien encounters? For example, I would imagine that a ship to ship attack would be covered but how would answering a SOS call on an unexplored planet that leads to an alien contamination, a chest-burster, and a creature with acid for blood that runs rough-shod on your drilling barge and kills your entire crew be classified?
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