SpaceX's first all-civilian mission to the moon is gathering up its team. Engadget reports that Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire, has now picked eight crew members to accompany him on his journey to the moon.
(Photo : by Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images)
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 05: In this handout photo provided by NASA, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASAs SpaceX Crew-5 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Nicole Mann and Josh Cassada, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Anna Kikina onboard at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on October 05, 2022 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
dearMoon Mission Crew
The application was open to everyone, but some names stood out. One of them is Choi Seung Hyun, known as TOP from the K-pop band BIGBANG, flying with Maezawa.
Other well-known crew members are DJ Steve Aoki and Tim Dodd. Rhiannon Adam, a photographic artist from Ireland, will also be with the crew.
Yemi A.D., a designer, director, and choreographer from the Czech Republic, Brendan Hall, a filmmaker, Karim Iliya, also a filmmaker, Kaitlyn Farrington, a snowboarding Olympic, and Miyu, a Japanese dancer complete the dearMoon mission crew.
From the get-go, Maezawa announced that he wanted to bring artists with him on the trip with the hopes of inspiring them to create something that would promote world peace.
The dearMoon Project
The project was launched in 2018 following Maezawa's purchase of seats for a six-day trip to the moon from SpaceX. It is expected to take place next year, but there is no actual date yet as it all depends on the development of the Starship.
A thorough preparation is in order, and Maezawa already flew to the International Space Station (ISS) last year and spent 12 days in the flying lab shooting videos about space life.
Also read: SpaceX's Starship Private Customer List Continues to Grow Ahead of Launch
A Trip to the Moon
A trip to the moon is an opportunity to create a higher awareness of the Earth and a higher awareness of Earth life. The moon mission is an opportunity to make this awareness.
It may take a few decades before all of humanity can reach the moon, but Maezawa is prepared to start this trip with the hope of inspiring people and changing the world into a better place.
SpaceX's schedule has already been pushed back several times. At one point, the spacecraft was expected to fly to the moon and land in 2018. But the project was delayed because of the collapse of the Falcon 9 rocket and the explosion of the Crew Dragon.
But it is expected that the SpaceX Starship will finally be ready for the first flights in the next couple of months.
Maezawa's decision to put together an all-civilian crew will certainly help SpaceX in its efforts to take civilians into space. It is a different approach to the government-approved flights that they usually do, but it is also a great opportunity to tap into the resources available in the private sector.
Related article: SpaceX's Japanese Billionaire Customer Revealed He is Now Selecting his Companions for His Moon Mission
