Meet the First Space Tourist: Yusaku Maezawa
A dream we all share will soon come true for one man and his lucky passengers.
Yusaku Maezawa (who prefers to be called “MZ”) is a billionaire fashion guru and art collector, who has always been inspired by the moon and is hoping to share his passion for art and his desire for world peace by inviting six to eight artists aboard his SpaceX flight, currently planned for 2023.
“Ever since I was a kid, I have loved the moon,” MZ said during a press conference. “Just staring at the moon filled my imagination. It’s always there and has continued to inspire humanity. That is why I could not pass up this opportunity to see the moon up close.”
Who is Yusaku Maezawa?
Yusaku Maezawa (前澤 友作 Maezawa Yūsaku, born 22 November 1975) is a Japanese billionaire entrepreneur and art collector. He founded Start Today in 1998 and launched the online fashion retail website Zozotown, now Japan's largest, in 2004. Most recently, Maezawa introduced a custom-fit apparel brand ZOZO and at-home measurement system, the ZOZOSUIT, in 2018. As of May 2017 he is estimated by Forbes to have a net worth of $3.6 billion and is the 14th richest person in Japan. (via Wikipedia)
Why does he get to go to the moon?
Quite simply, he can afford it. MZ purchased all the tickets on the BFR so that he could take top artists with him, in order to create an incredible project called #dearMoon.
Yusaku Maezawa on the BFR. Image Credit: @yousuck2020 Twitter
What is #dearMoon all about?
According to the #dearMoon website:
I choose to go to the Moon, with artists.
If Pablo Picasso had been able to see the moon up-close,
what kind of paintings would he have drawn?
If John Lennon could have seen the curvature of the Earth,
what kind of songs would he have written?
If they had gone to space, how would the world have looked today?People are creative and have a great imagination.
We all have the ability to dream dreams that have never been dreamt, to sing songs that have never been sung, to paint that which has never been seen before.I hope that this project will inspire the dreamer within each of us.
Together with Earth's top artists, I will be heading to the moon... just a little earlier than everyone else.
I am truly blessed by this opportunity to become Host Curator of "#dearMoon".
I would like to thank Elon Musk and SpaceX for creating the opportunity to go around the moon in their BFR. I would also like to thank all those who have continuously supported me.
I vouch to make this project a success. Stay tuned!
#dearMoon Project Host Curator
Yusaku Maezawa
