One billionaire just said goodbye to his lunar adventure—for now. Yusaku Maezawa, the founder of Japan’s largest online fashion retailer, has called off 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 circumnavigate the moon alongside eight artists, including the likes of DJ Steve Aoki and YouTuber Tim Dodd.
Back then, Maezawa had hoped to take off in 2023, but Starship’s flight has been delayed time and time again. “Unfortunately . .
. launch within 2023 became unfeasible, and without clear schedule certainty in the near-term, it is with a heavy heart that Maezawa made the unavoidable decision to cancel the project,” reads a statement posted to the website for dearMoon, as the mission had been called. “To all who have supported this project and looked forward to this endeavor, we sincerely appreciate it and apologize for this outcome.
” Maezawa has long been interested in space exploration, and the businessman spent two weeks on the International Space Station in 2021, Digital Trends noted. He had wanted to carry out the first civilian trip around the moon on SpaceX’s craft, but Elon Musk’s company has come up against some roadblocks during testing: The first two test flights last year saw the Starship rocket explode . A third test, in March, was the most successful by far , but the rocket still burned up over the ocean upon its return to Ear.
