billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who recently returned to Japan after a 12-day journey into space last month, shared his memorable experiences and new ideas.
In December, the 46-year-old fashion mogul and art collector became the first tourist to visit the International Space Station (ISS) in over a decade. This trip serves as a precursor to his more ambitious journey around the Moon with a spacecraft operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX in 2023.
Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa.
In a press conference on January 7, he stated: “When you fly into space, you will miss Earth very much. You will appreciate the place we live because it has wind, scents, and seasons.”
As a prominent figure known for his unique lifestyle in the serious business world and adherence to Japanese norms, billionaire Maezawa attracted social media followers with a series of videos sharing his experiences in space, including how to brew tea and maintain personal hygiene in a zero-gravity environment.
“At the moment of the rocket launch, I was able to enjoy this experience. I felt like when the Shinkansen bullet train leaves the station. The trip was very smooth. I only realized I was in space when I looked out the window.”
Maezawa, who sold his online fashion business Zozo to SoftBank in 2019, will become the first private passenger on SpaceX’s lunar excursion. The trip is expected to take place next year, and he is currently screening “1 million” applications to find 8 participants to join him on the journey.
He believes that directly witnessing Earth from space is a hundred times more beautiful than photographs. Maezawa hopes that one day world leaders will also be able to undertake a similar journey.
Maezawa also assessed that “the space market has a lot of potential” and the trip has given him new ideas. He plans to invest in various business sectors that develop from research conducted by NASA, JAXA, and other companies.
The Japanese billionaire further shared that not only does he intend to fly into space, but he also plans to dive into the Mariana Trench, the deepest part of the ocean. The plans for this journey have been decided but have not yet been disclosed.
