Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa has decided to cancel his ambitious dearMoon mission, which aimed to take him and eight hand-picked artists on a private trip around the moon aboard SpaceX's Starship. Maezawa is a Japanese billionaire who made his fortune as an online fashion retailer. He underwrote the cost of dearMoon, although the exact amount remains undisclosed. Maezawa previously flew to space for 12 days in December 2021, paying for seats to and from the International Space Station for himself and his videographer, Yozo Hirano.
The Vision: In 2018, Maezawa signed a contract with SpaceX, assuming that the dearMoon mission would launch by the end of 2023. The project was designed to be a developmental endeavor, but uncertainties surrounding the readiness of SpaceX's Starship led to its cancellation.
The Crew: The crew members were chosen based on artistic aspirations, and there were no scientific experiments or other responsibilities aside from basic mission safety obligations.
Starship Challenges: SpaceX's Starship, along with its Super Heavy booster, is the world's tallest and most powerful rocket. The company faced setbacks during uncrewed sub-orbital test flights in April and November 2023.
Artistic rendition of the Starship firing its engines during its lunar flyby
During the recent Orbital test flight (OFT-4), Starship reached space successfully in March 2024, but lost control while re-entering the atmosphere whereas the booster did not survive the intended splashdown due to engine relight issues.
Maezawa expressed regret over the prolonged uncertainty regarding Starship's readiness. He acknowledged the difficulty of making crew members wait indefinitely and decided to cancel the mission. Maezawa apologized to those who were excited about the project.
Future Prospects
SpaceX continues its development of a crewed Starship for NASA's Artemis program, aiming to land astronauts on the moon by 2026. Maezawa's lunar dreams may have been dashed, but the quest for space exploration continues.
In summary, the dearMoon mission, once full of promise, has been grounded due to technical challenges. While Maezawa's lunar voyage won't happen as planned, the pursuit of space exploration remains undeterred.
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