According to the latest reports, Yusaku Maezawa, a prominent Japanese billionaire, has recently scrapped his planned "dearMoon" mission aboard a SpaceX spacecraft, citing uncertainties surrounding the launch date. In 2018, the fashion mogul unveiled his ambitious plan to travel to the Moon. He even went further in 2022 by securing seats for eight companions on this lunar voyage.
The recently-scrapped mission would have marked Maezawa's second spaceflight, following his 12-day trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft in 2021. He announced the cancellation of the dearMoon project on X. dearMoon Mission Cancelled Maezawa even regretted the planning difficulties caused by the uncertain launch date.
He said he felt terrible keeping the crew waiting any longer, leading him to the tough decision to cancel the mission. Standing tall as the world's most powerful and loftiest launch vehicle, SpaceX's Starship and Super Heavy booster system completed its first uncrewed test flight in April 2023. However, it fell short of reaching orbit.
A subsequent test in November 2023 achieved a higher altitude but also fell short of orbital goals...
. Vinay Patel.