A Japanese billionaire is seeking eight passengers to board Elon Musk’s SpaceX flight that’s traveling to the moon in 2023, according to a YouTube video he posted Tuesday.
Yusaku Maezawa, also known as “MZ,” tweeted application details regarding the first civilian mission going to the moon, “dearMoon.” The fashion businessman purchased eight seats aboard the rocket that seats 10 to 12 people in all including himself, according to the link he tweeted. (RELATED: SpaceX’s Starship SN9 Explodes During Landing)
Get your FREE TICKET to the MOON!!
8 crew members wanted. Sign up today! ???????????? #dearMoon https://t.co/P0vEZ6k8Xg— Yusaku Maezawa (MZ) (@yousuckMZ) March 2, 2021
“Two years ago, I said that I would like to invite artists from around the world to come along with me. That was the initial plan, but it has since evolved. I began to wonder…what do I mean by artist? A singer? A dancer? A writer? The more I thought about it, the more ambiguous it became. And I began to think that maybe every single person who is doing something creative could be called an artist.”
In his video, Yusaku named two key criteria. First, he said he hopes that space will inspire whatever activity the artist does. If the artist is satisfied with whatever activity they are doing, he asked if by going into space they could do something that’s “even better, even bigger.”
Second, he said the artist has to be willing and able to support the other crew members who share similar aspirations.
Elon Musk spoke about the Starship’s launch in the video. “This mission we expect people will go further than any human has ever gone from planet Earth,” Musk said.
Maezawa admitted he is “a little scared.”
“But I’m more curious, and I trust Elon and the SpaceX team, their technological prowess and teamwork,” Maezawa said.