Japanese Billionaire Announced the Eight People Who Will Be Flying With Him on the dearMoon Mission

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa recently announced the eight people who will be his crewmates for dearMoon mission aboard a SpaceX Starship rocket to fly around the Moon as soon as 2023. His crewmates comprise the first-ever artist-centered mission to space.

Maezawa says in the video that he hopes everyone will "recognize the responsibility of leaving Earth, traveling to the Moon and back." He announced the names of the eight crew members on Thursday, December 8, for the planned dearMoon mission which is still under development.

What Is the dearMoon Mission?

Maezawa has invited the public last year for a spot on his private mission aboard a SpaceX Starship that will travel around the Moon, The Verge reported. The trip is currently slated for 2023, although it might be pushed further given the conditions today.

He said in a video that he wants people from different backgrounds and is inviting eight people to come along on the ride. Maezawa is the founder of the largest online fashion retailer in Japan and is currently worth about $2 billion. In 2018, he was revealed as Starship's first signed passenger in the mission named the dearMoon Project, which aims to bring eight artists around the Moon for six days.

At that time, Maezawa said that these artists will be asked to create something after returning to Earth from the mission. These masterpieces should inspire the dreamer in every human on the planet.

But then a few years later, Maezawa said that the plan has evolved and that maybe everyone is doing something creative and should be referred to as an artist. Those who meets two criteria could get picked for a spot on the upcoming dearMoon Project.

First, those who "can push its envelope to help other people and greater society in some way," and second, those who are "willing to support other crew members who share similar aspirations."

The Eight Crew Members for dearMoon Mission

Starship has not yet been approved for an orbital journey around Earth, let alone the Moon, and that may cause a pushback on the schedule for dearMoon mission. Starship has been grounded for 18 months as SpaceX awaits approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which will check for environmental assessment requirements at its Starbase in South Texas.

According to Space.com, the following artists will be riding along with Maezawa on his trip around the Moon:

• American DJ and producer Steve Aoki
• YouTube creator of the "Everyday Astronaut" Tim Dodd
• Artist and choreographer Yemi A.D.
• National Geographic Magazine photographer Karim Iliya
• Award-winning photographer Rhiannon Adam
• Filmmaker Brendan Hall
• Indian TV actor Dev Joshi
• South Korean rapper and Big Bang boy band member Choi Seung-hyun a.k.a TOP
• Backup crew members: Dancer Miyu and snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington

The video also showed views of Starship under testing, such as firing one of the SpaceX systems. Starship is also commissioned to putting NASA astronauts on the lunar surface in a few years under the Artemis program missions.

Check out more news and information on dearMoon Project in Science Times.