Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa invites subscribers to apply for a competition and win one of eight seats on a SpaceX spaceship during a private flight around the moon in 2023. Participants can be from any country in the world.
“I would like people of all backgrounds to join the team,” Maezawa said. “The team will consist of 10-12 people. I invite 8 people to fly with us. "
Maezawa, founder of Japan's largest online clothing store, is worth about $ 2 billion. He was announced as the first confirmed Starship passenger back in 2018 during an event at SpaceX headquarters. in California. At the same time, Maezawa, an avid art collector, announced his Dear Moon Project, which aims to invite 6-8 artists from around the world to join him on a six-day flight around the moon in 2023. Maezawa planned that these artists, upon returning to Earth, would create a masterpiece that would inspire and awaken the dreamer within each of us.
September 2018 Yusaku Maezawa announces his intention to fly on a SpaceX Starship rocket
For the past two years, there has been no news from Maezawa. It wasn't until January 2020 that he launched a fun campaignin search of a companion who would accompany him on his journey to the moon. There were 27,722 entries for the competition, and Japanese streaming video site AbemaTV was about to make a reality show out of the flight called "Full Moon Lovers." A few weeks later, the show was canceled and Maezawa ended his search for a date for personal reasons, he tweeted .
StarshipIs a new generation SpaceX super-heavy launch vehicle of a reusable launch, designed to transport people and cargo (up to 100 tons) during flights into outer space. Previously, the company tested prototypes of this rocket at a test site in Boca Chica, Texas. The last two prototypes were successfully launched, but both tests, unfortunately, ended in explosions when attempting to land. Elon Musk and SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said the Starship's first orbital flight could take place in late 2021.
Crew Dragon, another SpaceX spacecraft, is already in service. Flights with private astronauts and tourists are planned. The acorn-shaped capsule delivered the first two astronaut crews to the International Space Station last year as part of NASA's commercial crews program.