The expansion of space tourism is in the sights of billionaires who want to fulfill their childhood dream and reach for the stars Or, perhaps, just spend your money in the most eccentric way possible.
The illustrious case of the latter is from Japanese billionaire Yasaku Maezawa -45 years old-, who on December 8 will fulfill his dream of reaching space aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft.
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Maezawa is the thirtieth richest man in Japan and will be accompanied by veteran Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin -who has already been in space twice- bound for the International Space Station.
【66 days until Launch????】
Experienced zero-gravity for the first time! Was hard to use my hands and feet at first, but was so fun after I got used to it! Hard to imagine being in this environment for 12 days but so excited ????#MZJourneytoSpace pic.twitter.com/qYoOZsSxSZ– Yusaku Maezawa (MZ) (@yousuckMZ) October 4, 2021
Unlike the space travel made by Jeff Bezos or Richard Branson with Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic respectively, the eccentric billionaire you will stay on board in the ISS for 12 days. At a press conference, he said he plans to make the most of his time there.
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“I have a list of a hundred things I want to do at the station, like playing badminton. The closer it gets, the more excited I get. I am not afraid nor am I worried, “he said.
One might think that a list of 100 things is too much, but not for Maezawa, as this will not be his first trip to space. En 2023 he plans to get on board SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft -which is still being developed- to be part of the mission “dearMoon” to the Moon.
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