A billionaire has just said goodbye to his lunar adventure – for now.
Yusaku Maezawa, the founder of Japan’s largest online fashion retailer, has canceled his planned trip around the moon on SpaceX’s Starship rocket, Digital Trends reported on Sunday. Back in 2018, the Japanese billionaire announced his intention to orbit the moon together with eight artists, including DJ Steve Aoki and YouTuber Tim Dodd. At the time, Maezawa had hoped to take off in 2023, but the Starship’s flight was repeatedly postponed.
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“Unfortunately… a launch in 2023 was no longer feasible, and since there is no clear date certainty in the near future, Maezawa has, with a heavy heart, made the inevitable decision to cancel the project,” said a statement on the website of DearMoon, as the mission was called. “We sincerely thank everyone who supported this project and looked forward to this endeavor and apologize for this outcome.”
Maezawa has long been interested in space exploration and spent two weeks on the International Space Station in 2021, Digital Trends reported. He wanted to conduct the first civilian orbit of the moon using SpaceX’s Starship, but Elon Musk’s company encountered some obstacles during testing: During the first two test flights last year, the Starship rocket exploded. A third test in March was by far the most successful, but the rocket still burned up over the ocean on its return to Earth.
A fourth test flight is scheduled for this week, which should give us a better idea of how the project is progressing. While the tests are being conducted, however, Maezawa seems to have decided he can’t wait any longer for Musk, so he’s given up on SpaceX’s Starship – at least for now.
“Although DearMoon has been canceled, Maezawa and the DearMoon crew members will continue to challenge themselves in their respective fields,” the note on the mission’s website continues. “We will pay deep respect to SpaceX as they continue to push into uncharted territories, while we ourselves will move on to the next challenge.”
Perhaps once SpaceX has solved the problems with its Starship, Maezawa will try another trip to the moon. Until then, he is stuck on Earth like the rest of us.
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