Billionaire who booked SpaceX flight around the Moon cancels after delays

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa planned to take eight artists on a flight around the Moon aboard SpaceX’s Starship. But now, when Starship is still in development and the flight has already been delayed indefinitely, Maezawa says he has canceled the trip.

“I can’t plan my future in this situation,” Maezawa added.

He also said he felt “terrible about making the crew members wait any longer.” Others he chose for the flight included DJ Steve Aoki, filmmaker Brendan Hall, musician Choi Seung Hyunm and YouTuber Tim Dodd.

Other possibilities which Ars Notes for canceling the project include SpaceX’s focus on its government contracts, as well as Maezawa’s net worth, which is half of what it was in 2018 (although it’s still pegged at over ‘a billion dollars). The billionaire has also been to space once before, when he flew a Russian Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station, where he stayed for 12 days in 2021.