Japan billionaire Maezawa's moon flyby pushed back to 2024 or beyond
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who returned to Earth last month after a 12-day journey into space, attends a news conference after returning to Japan, at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan, in Tokyo. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo
TOKYO: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa said on Thursday his voyage around the moon with Elon Musk's SpaceX had been delayed to 2024 or later.
"We were planning for our lunar orbital mission 'dearMoon' to take place in 2023, but seems like it will take a little longer," Maezawa said in a message on the social media platform X, without giving reasons.
"We're not sure when the flight will be, but we will give you all an update once we know more," he said.
In 2018, SpaceX named its first private passenger on the trip as Maezawa, who made his fortune founding the online fashion retailer Zozo Inc (3092.T).
Maezawa last year revealed K-pop star TOP and DJ Steve Aoki will be among the eight crew members he plans to take on the trip.
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