TOKYO. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa announced on Saturday the cancellation of his highly anticipated lunar mission with SpaceX due to ongoing uncertainties regarding the development timeline of the SpaceX rocket.
Maezawa initially revealed his ambitious plans for the lunar flyby voyage in 2018. By 2022, he had secured seats for eight companions for what was to be his second journey into space, following his 12-day trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2021. The moon trip was originally targeted for 2023, a goal considered overly optimistic by many space observers due to the progress of SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket project. This mission would have marked the first private flight around the moon.
The mission organizer released a statement on Saturday, declaring the project “unfeasible” due to the lack of clear schedule certainty. “Without clear schedule certainty in the near-term, it is with a heavy heart that Maezawa made the unavoidable decision to cancel the project,” the statement read. “To all who have supported this project and looked forward to this endeavor, we sincerely appreciate it and apologize for this outcome.”
Maezawa had selected eight participants for his “dearMoon” project from over a million applicants. Among the chosen were the lead rapper of the K-pop group Big Bang, American DJ Steve Aoki, and filmmaker Brendan Hall.
On Saturday, Maezawa expressed his regrets on social media platform X, stating, “I can’t plan my future in this situation and I feel terrible making the crew members wait longer, hence [I made] the difficult decision to cancel at this point in time. I apologize to those who were excited for this project to happen.”
Maezawa explained that his contract with SpaceX, signed in 2018, was based on the assumption that a launch would be feasible by the end of 2023. “It’s a developmental project so it is what it is, but it is still uncertain as to when Starship can launch,” he added.
SpaceX’s progress has faced setbacks, with two test flights of its mega-rocket last year ending in explosions shortly after liftoff, and a third test in March resulting in the spacecraft being lost during its descent back to Earth.
Maezawa, who made his fortune in retail fashion by launching Japan’s major online fashion mall, Zozotown, and his producer became the first self-paying tourists to visit the International Space Station since 2009 with their trip in December 2021.
Japan billionaire Maezawa cancels moon trip due to uncertainty over SpaceX rocket development
Japanese Billionaire Maezawa Cancels Moon Trip Amid SpaceX Rocket Uncertainty
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa announced on Saturday the cancellation of his highly anticipated lunar mission with SpaceX due to ongoing uncertainties regarding the development timeline of the SpaceX rocket.
Maezawa initially revealed his ambitious plans for the lunar flyby voyage in 2018. By 2022, he had secured seats for eight companions for what was to be his second journey into space, following his 12-day trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2021. The moon trip was originally targeted for 2023, a goal considered overly optimistic by many space observers due to the progress of SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket project. This mission would have marked the first private flight around the moon.
The mission organizer released a statement on Saturday, declaring the project “unfeasible” due to the lack of clear schedule certainty. “Without clear schedule certainty in the near-term, it is with a heavy heart that Maezawa made the unavoidable decision to cancel the project,” the statement read. “To all who have supported this project and looked forward to this endeavor, we sincerely appreciate it and apologize for this outcome.”
Maezawa had selected eight participants for his “dearMoon” project from over a million applicants. Among the chosen were the lead rapper of the K-pop group Big Bang, American DJ Steve Aoki, and filmmaker Brendan Hall.
On Saturday, Maezawa expressed his regrets on social media platform X, stating, “I can’t plan my future in this situation and I feel terrible making the crew members wait longer, hence [I made] the difficult decision to cancel at this point in time. I apologize to those who were excited for this project to happen.”
Maezawa explained that his contract with SpaceX, signed in 2018, was based on the assumption that a launch would be feasible by the end of 2023. “It’s a developmental project so it is what it is, but it is still uncertain as to when Starship can launch,” he added.
SpaceX’s progress has faced setbacks, with two test flights of its mega-rocket last year ending in explosions shortly after liftoff, and a third test in March resulting in the spacecraft being lost during its descent back to Earth.
Maezawa, who made his fortune in retail fashion by launching Japan’s major online fashion mall, Zozotown, and his producer became the first self-paying tourists to visit the International Space Station since 2009 with their trip in December 2021.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
