Who is Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, the SpaceX moon traveller looking for eight companions?
- Maezawa will be the first private passenger for SpaceX’s planned visit to the moon and he this week extended the invitation for eight strangers to join him
- He made billions from the sale of his clothing website in 2019, before building a lucrative collection of modern art and now setting his sights on outer space
Punk rocker, philanthropist, entrepreneur and art collector – Yusaku Maezawa’s career trajectory has been anything but conventional, particularly in Japan. Having built a fortune from a handful of good ideas, he’s not yet finished.
“It will take three days to get to the moon, loop behind it and three days to come back,” the 45-year-old said. “I will pay for the entire journey. I have bought all the seats so it will be a private ride.
“What I’m most looking forward to is to see my home planet, the big blue Earth, with my own eyes. And then, after coming out from the dark side of the moon, we may be able to see the ‘Earthrise’.
“I want to satisfy my curiosity by seeing something I’ve never seen, going somewhere I’ve never been. Second, I want to remind myself just how amazing our planet really is. I want to express my appreciation for this extraordinary planet I call home. Lastly, I want to be reminded of how small and how insignificant I am.”
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‘Free tickets to the moon’: Japanese billionaire seeks eight companions for SpaceX lunar trip