{"id":153125,"date":"2022-12-09T19:54:10","date_gmt":"2022-12-09T19:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/japanese-billionaire-announces-crew-for-trip-around-the-moon\/"},"modified":"2022-12-09T19:54:10","modified_gmt":"2022-12-09T19:54:10","slug":"japanese-billionaire-announces-crew-for-trip-around-the-moon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/japanese-billionaire-announces-crew-for-trip-around-the-moon\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese Billionaire Announces Crew for Trip Around the Moon"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa speaking at a press conference on January 7, 2022. <\/figcaption>
photo: Eugene Hoshiko (AP)<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has revealed the eight-person crew that will join him on a trip around the Moon.<\/p>\n

The wealthy entrepreneur with an estimated<\/span> net worth of $1.7 billion, purchased all the SpaceX Starship seats in 2018, in what’s slated to be the first lunar flyby for the spaceship. In March 2021, Maezawa invited people to apply<\/span> for a chance to come along for the ride on what he calls the \u201cdearMoon\u201d mission.<\/p>\n

On Friday, Maezawa announced<\/span> the eight people he had selected from more than one million applicants. The dearMoon crew members include DJ Steve Aoki, Everyday Astronaut<\/span> YouTuber Tim Dodd (who provides commentary on spaceflight news and developments), and South Korean pop star TOP from the boyband Big Bang. Other crew members are mostly artists and photographers from different parts of the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m very thrilled to have these amazing people join me on my journey to the Moon,\u201d Maezawa wrote on the mission website. \u201cAnd excited to see what inspiring creations they come up with in space.\u201d for Maezawa, this will mark his second stint in space, the first being a trip to the ISS in 2021<\/span>. <\/p>\n

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Yusaku Maezawa and his eight crewmates, plus two reserves. <\/figcaption>
Image: dearMoon<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Maezawa isn’t the only wealthy space enthusiast using his funds to fly civilians to space. Billionaire Jared Isaacman commanded the Inspiration 4 crew<\/span>, which launched on September 16, 2021 aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. Isaacman had also bought all four seats on board the three-day journey to space, marking the first all-civilian mission to Earth orbit. The billionaire tech entrepreneur is gearing up for another private trip to space<\/span> as part of the Polaris Dawn mission, the first of three flights on board a SpaceX rocket purchased by Isaacman. Earlier this year, Dennis and Akiko Tito were announced as the first passengers for SpaceX’s second commercial spaceflight around the Moon. <\/p>\n

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More on this story: SpaceX Sells 82-Year-Old Billionaire a Starship Ride Around the Moon<\/span><\/h4>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Space is seemingly addictive, and it’s clear that the curator of the dearMoon mission can’t wait to get there as well. The dearMoon mission is scheduled to take place in 2023, but that timeline feels a little tight at the moment. SpaceX’s Starship has yet to perform its first orbital flight and is currently undergoing tests<\/span> at the company’s Texas Starbase.<\/p>\n