(ORDO NEWS) — Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa announced on Thursday eight crew members who will join him on a 2023 trip around the moon on a SpaceX rocket that is still under development.
The mission, known as dearMoon, was first announced in 2018. Maezawa initially said he would invite a team of six to eight artists, but later changed the entry requirements for the competition, which applicants could apply for online.
The team included DJ and producer Steve Aoki, YouTuber Tim Dodd, artist Yemi AD, photographers Rhiannon Adam and Kareem Elijah, director Brendan Hall, actor Dev Joshi and K-pop musician TOP.
Two members of the backup crew were also selected – snowboarder Caitlin Farrington and dancer Miyu.
“I hope everyone, without exception, recognizes the responsibility that comes with leaving Earth, traveling to the Moon and back,” Maezawa said in the video announcement.
“They will gain a lot from this experience, and I hope that they will use this to contribute to the development of the planet, of humanity.”
According to the mission graphic on the dearMoon website, the round-trip flight will last almost six days, with no moon landing planned.
Maezawa, founder of Japan‘s largest online fashion store, flew to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket last year.
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