Tokyo: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has called off his “dearMoon” mission, intended to be the first private flight around the moon, the project announced on Saturday. Originally targeting a circumlunar flight with celebrities on board by the end of last year, the mission cited feasibility issues for the delay.
“Without clear schedule certainty in the near-term, it is with a heavy heart that Maezawa made the unavoidable decision, opens new tab to cancel the project,” the mission stated on its website. “o all who have supported this project and looked forward to this endeavor, we sincerely appreciate it and apologize for this outcome.”
Maezawa, in a separate statement on the mission website, attributed the cancellation to uncertainties in project development. He revealed that he had signed the contract in 2018 under the assumption that the launch would occur by the end of 2023.
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“It’s a developmental project so it is what it is, but it is still uncertain as to when Starship can launch,” Maezawa remarked. “I can’t plan my future in this situation, and I feel terrible making the crew members wait longer, hence the difficult decision to cancel at this point in time.”
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Elon Musk’s SpaceX designated Maezawa, the dynamic founder of Japanese online fashion retailer Zozo Inc, as its first private passenger in 2018. Three years later, he became the first private passenger to visit the International Space Station in over a decade, launching aboard a Soyuz rocket.
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In 2022, Maezawa unveiled plans to include K-pop star TOP and DJ Steve Aoki among the eight crew members for the dearMoon mission.
