Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa said yesterday that he plans to blast off on the first-ever private commercial trip around the moon and will invite six to eight artists, architects, designers and other creative people on the weeklong journey "to inspire the dreamer in all of us".
The SpaceX Big FalconRocket is scheduled to make the trip in 2023, company founder Elon Musk announced at an event yesterday at its headquarters near Los Angeles.
Maezawa, 42, said he wants his guests for the lunar orbit "to see the moon up close, and the Earth in full view, and create work to reflect their experience".
Yusaku Maezawa. Photo / AP
Musk said the entrepreneur, founder of Japan's largest retail website and one the country's richest people, will pay "a lot of money" for the trip, but declined to disclose the exact amount. Maezawa came to SpaceX with the idea for the group flight, Musk said.
The announcement came as British diver Vernon Unsworth, who helped rescue youth football players trapped in a cave in Thailand, announced he is suing Musk, alleging he falsely accused him of being a paedophile. The lawsuit filed seeks more than US$75,000 ($113,690) in damages.
