Elon Musk Just Revealed Yusaku Maezawa Will Be 1st Man To Travel To The Moon In Almost 50 Years
Yusaku Maezawa will be the first private customer to ride around the moon on SpaceXs future massive rocket the Big Falcon Rocket BFR. Humanity last touched down on the moon all the way back in 1972 on NASAs Apollo 17 mission No man has even flown close to the moon ever since.
Humanity last touched down on the moon all the way back in 1972 on NASA's Apollo 17 mission. No man has even flown close to the moon ever since.
But Elon Musk and SpaceX just announced the name of the next man to fly to the moon -- Japanese billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa. And he'll undertake the journey as early as 2023.
Reuters
At an official SpaceX event, with CEO Elon Musk himself doing the honours, Yusaku Maezawa's name was bestowed with the privilege of taking humanity back to the moon in just five years.
Maezawa will be the first private customer to ride around the moon on SpaceX's future massive rocket, the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) -- which is still getting its finishing touches.
Both SpaceX and Elon Musk's official Twitter handle broke the news for the world to savour just a couple of hours ago.
The first private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard BFR is fashion innovator and globally recognized art curator Yusaku Maezawa.
¡ª SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 18, 2018
"Finally, I can tell you that I choose to go to the Moon! I choose to go to the moon with artists!¡± 42-year-old Maezawa said to announce his trip. Forbes values him at a net worth of $2.9 billion.
Yusaku will be bringing 8 (brave) artists & cultural figures with him on the journey around the moon! https://t.co/PCU23HYTa9
¡ª Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 18, 2018
As per Elon Musk, Maezawa won't be going to the moon alone. He will be bringing along up to eight passengers with him on the journey. That's right!
Reiterating Musk, Maezawa said that he would like to invite "six to eight artists from around the world to join me on this mission to the Moon. These artists will be asked to create something after they return to Earth, and these masterpieces will inspire the dreamer within all of us.¡±
Why does Yusaku Maezawa get to be the 1st human to return to the moon in half a century? Elon Musk said that Maezawa actually came forward himself and spoke to SpaceX about his idea to do this first private manned flight to the moon.
Travelling to the moon surely wouldn't have been cheap, but the Japanese billionaire declined to comment on how much he paid for the flight. He did however confirm that the eight artists he's asking to join him on the flight will get to travel for free.
