Yuzaku Maezawa's Dear Moon project is on the frontier of civilian space travel.   

 

For $80 million, civilian, "moon tourism" seems like a science fiction luxury.    

 

In 2023, Japanese entrepreneur Yuzaku Maezawa will be among the first to experience commercial space flight with the SpaceX program. Eight people, chosen from over a million applicants, will accompany him on a circumnavigation of the moon. The $80 million price tag ensures that only a handful of civilians will join the adventure. Is this just another billionaire's vanity project, or does it have greater significance? For Maezawa, it's more than just fun, it's an opportunity to inspire. The eight members of his hand-picked crew are artists and creators from different backgrounds all over the world. Musicians, photographers, and even YouTubers. The aim is to lay the foundations for a wave of artistic works, inspired by this shared celestial journey.   

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“A journey to inspire the world with a new moonshot”   

 

 

At $80 million, is this another billionaire's vanity project, or does it have a greater meaning?   

 

A journey to inspire the world with a new moonshot. For South Korean rapper TOP, this trip should inspire the world to aspire to the impossible, to think big, and make the impossible a reality. A functional moonshot. Similarly, Irish photographic artist Rhiannon Adam sees the project as an impossible dream come true. Many of those selected intend to use their work to share this otherwise unattainable experience with the world. American YouTuber, Tim Dodd, the “Everyday Astronaut,” has specialized in this area: Making the world of astrophysics more digestible. For others, such as British photographer, Karim Iliya, whose work often contemplates the vastness of our oceans, it is an opportunity to reflect on the bigger picture and recognize the role we all have to play in saving the Earth.   

 

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 A second ambitious attempt to get civilians to the moon.   

 

This is not the first time SpaceX has attempted such a mission. In 2018, a similar mission, also involving Maezawa, was planned but was deemed too ambitious at the time. Since then, SpaceX has become the first private company to send astronauts into space, marking a shift in space travel. This new frontier will be the threshold for private companies and the playground for billionaires, at least for a while. While the average person may not get to see the surface of our lunar cousin for some time, they will at least be able to share in the excitement of the Dear Moon project, thanks to the art of its esteemed team.