In 2018, Japanese billionaire businessman Yusaku Maezawa booked a ride on a SpaceX rocket scheduled to orbit the moon in 2023. He named his mission the dearMoon project. And after an 18-month global search for “creatives,” he has reportedly chosen his 8-person crew.
The price tag for Maezawa and his crew to be launched into space has not been disclosed by SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk. But Musk claims it was “a lot of money.”
Maezawa, whose riches came from founding Japan’s largest online fashion mall, Zozotown is thrilled with his new venture. He sold most of his interest in Zozo in 2019 for $2.3 billion. And parent company, Zozo, is still listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
He was so anxious to go space traveling that he booked a ticket on a Russian Soyuz rocket. And flew to the International Space Station for a 12-day round-trip adventure.
The planned history-making flight will be the first-time humans have returned to the moon since 1972.
High-profile creatives on dearMoon crew
The dearMoon project includes a team of people from many nations, from diverse backgrounds with differing creative skills. Included are a commercial DJ, a filmmaker, a K-pop rapper, and a space YouTuber. Maezawa plans on turning the private SpaceX flight into high art.
