【1988 Archives】

SpaceX revealed the first passenger its signed up to fly to the moon988 ArchivesMonday for one very expensive art project.

The Elon Musk-founded company will send 42-year-old Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa into deep space, but he doesn't want to take the trip all on his own. The entrepreneur hopes to bring along "six to eight artists" who will capture the experience on a four to five day mission in 2023.

SEE ALSO: Take a look at the first space suit that let Americans walk in space

If all goes according to plan, Maezawa will be the first non-American to orbit the moon.

Here's what we know about him and his larger-than-life lunar ambitions:

Who is Yusaku Maezawa?

A skateboarder and former drummer in a hardcore band called Switch Style, Maezawa is now the 18th richest person in Japan with a net worth of $2.9 billion according to Forbes.

He is the founder of Start Today, a mail-order CD and record business he founded in 1998, which expanded into the online fashion business with Zozotown in 2004. Last year, the site boasted 7.2 million customers.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Maezawa is not shy when it comes to spending his riches, as evidenced when he made headlines for shelling out a record $110.5 million for Jean-Michel Basquiat's 1982 painting of a skull last year. At another auction in 2016, he spent $81 million in one night.

His love for Basquiat was something he echoed in the press conference, when he wore a t-shirt featuring a painting by the artist, and also spoke of his work. Basquiat died in 1988.

"One day, when I was staring at his painting, I thought, what if Basquiat had gone to space, and had seen the moon up close, or saw Earth in full view. What wonderful masterpiece could he have created?" he said.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Why does he want to go to the moon?

Maezawa said his interest in the moon started as a child.

"Ever since I was a kid, I have loved the moon," he said. "Just staring at the moon filled my imagination. It's always there and has always continued to inspire humanity."

But he doesn't want to go alone either. He's taking along artists representing Earth who will contribute to a project called #DearMoon.

He will first reach out to artists that he loves to see if they'd like to go, but it'll be open to painters, sculptors, film directors, architects, fashion designers, and others.

"I love art. And I'm very much looking forward to seeing what different artists getting together could bring to life," he said.

According to the project schedule on DearMoon's website, selection of the artists will begin this year, with training and preparation to take place before planned liftoff in 2023.

"He is the bravest person and the most willing to do so, and he was the best adventurer I think," Musk said of Maezawa.

"He stepped forward to do it. To be clear, we are honored that he would choose us. This is not us choosing him... He is a very brave person to do this."

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Maezawa has made a down payment on the trip, but declined to reveal how much he spent in total.

Musk said the money spent on the trip will help to fund the BFR's development, with the goal of one day opening up space travel to the average person.

The artists would be travelling for free, and an exhibition will take place on Earth sometime after the trip finishes.

As for Musk, he's not sure when he'll go to space, even though Maezawa extended the invitation to him.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Why BMW's riderless bike is less badass than you might think

---

• Games
• Digital Culture
• Tech
• Deals
• Science
• Shopping
• Life
• Entertainment

• The Baffler’s May Day Round Up
• Apple's iPhone 18 to feature TSMC’s 2nm chip next year · TechNode
• X may add dislike and downvote buttons
• Early Prime Day kitchen deals: Margaritaville, Ninja, more
• The cicadas aren't invading the U.S.
• 'House of the Dragon' Season 2, episode 5: Daemon's strange sex vision, explained
• Argentina vs. Colombia 2024 livestream: Watch Copa America final for free
• Prime Day deal: Get $125 off this Dyson Airwrap bundle
• Virtual Reality: The True Cost of Admission (and Why It Doesn't Matter)
• Hubble snaps photo of an eerie part of the universe

• Flight or invisibility? The next 'Splatoon 2' match
• Moonhack breaks a world record for kids coding, again
• Apple's expected to ship 15 million Apple Watches by the end of 2017
• HBO Now is dominting and it’s all because of 'Game of Thrones'
• The solar eclipse shows up beautifully in weather forecast models
• New Star Wars film might include Princes Harry and William
• Download this: Off the Menu Club is the answer to all your foodie prayers
• How do Flat Earth truthers explain the eclipse? These weird
• Elisabeth Moss says 'Handmaid's Tale' Season 2 will 'blow people away'
• 'Stranger Things' pop

• How to cancel your Kindle Unlimited subscription
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for July 13
• China’s Xpeng to use own autonomous driving chip on par with Nvidia Thor: reports · TechNode
• Hubble snaps photo of an eerie part of the universe
• Amazon Big Spring Sale 2025: Best deals under $50
• BYD launches new Denza N9 flagship SUV in China · TechNode
• Cybertruck owner discovers new way the Tesla EV can rip your finger off
• LG Display transfers 8.5
• 8 Years Later: Does the GeForce GTX 580 Still Have Game in 2018?
• Best gift for kids deal: National Geographic Rock Tumbler Kit on sale for $19 off at Amazon

• Ryzen 5 1600X vs. 1600: Which should you buy?
• JD.com raises salaries and grants stock to Dada employees · TechNode
• Best gift for kids deal: National Geographic Rock Tumbler Kit on sale for $19 off at Amazon
• Huawei sees 22.4% revenue growth in 2024, while profits fall 28% · TechNode
• Dell S3422DWG Gaming Monitor deal: save $100 at Amazon
• Tesla suspends sales of imported vehicles in China due to tariffs · TechNode
• Prime Day deal: Get $125 off this Dyson Airwrap bundle
• 01.AI founder Kai
• Here are the glorious proposed logos for Donald Trump's Space Force
• NVIDIA acquires Chinese GPU cloud startup Lepton AI: report · TechNode