Elon Musk is undoubtedly one of the world’s most ambitious and brilliant tech-driven minds. The mogul’s most recently announced his plans to launch Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, on a rocket trip around the moon.
Musk shared his vision for the future, saying his company’s space travel goals are necessary for ensuring mankind’s survival. The visionary spoke of his fears for an impending event that could “end civillization,” adding: “We should take action and become a multi-planet civilization as soon as possible.” The announcement comes in light of a string of recent scandals for Musk. The Tesla CEO has been criticized for his recent erratic behavior and offensive Tweets. Tesla, his electric car company, has also struggled with meeting production targets, leading to delayed customer deliveries and extensive complaints.
The tourist lunar program, entitled SpaceX, has been labeled as a “dangerous mission” by Musk but Yusaku Maezawa has always been a man of unconventional choices. The entrepreneur is the brain behind Zozo, Japan’s largest online fashion retailer. The 42-year-old is also an avid art collector who would like to extend an invitation to multiple artists to join him on his trip. “This is my lifelong dream,” Maezawa said, “I would like to invite six to eight artists from around the world to join me on this mission to the moon. They will be asked to create something after they return to Earth. These masterpieces will inspire the dreamer within all of us.”
Maezawa would not reveal how much he had paid to take part in the mission but it is speculated that the sum is well over $100 million. The mission is expected to meet its 2023 deadline.