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Dear Moon: Japanese Entrepreneur's $9 Million Space Trip with Elon Musk

Rolling Stone - In a historic and unprecedented move, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has paid a whopping $9 million to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for a trip to the moon. The 45-year-old entrepreneur, known for his fashion and art ventures, will embark on the first-ever private trip to the moon, scheduled to take place in 2023.

Maezawa, who made his fortune by selling his online fashion retailer Zozo in 2019, has been fascinated by space travel and has been working closely with Musk to make this extraordinary journey a reality. The trip, dubbed "Dear Moon," will see Maezawa and a select group of artists and designers join him on the voyage.

The mission, set to launch on a SpaceX Starship spacecraft, will last for approximately seven days, during which time the travelers will spend two days on the moon's surface, collecting samples and conducting experiments. The remaining days will be spent in lunar orbit, enjoying the breathtaking views of the Earth from space.

Musk, known for his ambitious space exploration goals, has been working tirelessly to develop the Starship spacecraft, which is designed to take both people and cargo to the moon, Mars, and beyond. The successful completion of the "Dear Moon" mission will mark a significant milestone in the development of commercial space travel.

Maezawa's decision to fund the trip is seen as a bold move to promote space exploration and inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM fields. The entrepreneur has also expressed his desire to use the trip to promote peace and unity among nations, saying, "I want to use this opportunity to bring people together, to show that we're all the same, and that we can all coexist peacefully."

The "Dear Moon" mission is expected to generate significant interest and excitement around the world, as it marks a new era in commercial space travel. With SpaceX and private space companies like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic leading the charge, the future of space exploration looks brighter than ever.