It’s no doubt that many people have been to space in the last few decades, but these missions have all been funded by governments and other authoritative entities. None have been publicly supported by private companies…until today. This year, the dearMoon project begins. The dearMoon project is a lunar tourism mission/art project funded by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. It will be performed on the interplanetary and fully reusable rocket called Starship on a single trajectory toward the Moon. The passengers consist of Maezawa and 8 other artists selected by random and it is scheduled to launch sometime this year in 2023. The objective is to have several civilian passengers and Maezawa successfully perform a free 6-day trip in orbit around the moon.

Originally, Maezawa contracted for a lunar flyby in a much smaller capsule called the “Dragon” capsule, which could fit around 7 people, in a much smaller and cramped space. That plan was shelved due to the recent leaps in production of the Starship craft, which was more favorable due to its fuel efficiency and massive size.

Now you may be wondering, why is any of this important? Well Maezawa believes that this mission will inspire the artists aboard to create something new. These artworks will be displayed sometime after returning to Earth to help promote peace and unity around the world and inspire others. What are your thoughts on this? Leave your thoughts in the comments.