Diva Down Billionaire fashion entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa has canceled his highly anticipated space tourism flight, citing readiness issues with SpaceX’s Starship rocket.
A Long-Awaited Journey
First announced in 2018, the “dearMoon” voyage aimed to take Maezawa and ten other space tourists, including DJ Steve Aoki, on a journey around the Moon and back. This would have marked the first private circumlunar trip in history.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk expressed high hopes for the mission in a 2021 promotional video, stating, “we expect people will go further than any human has ever gone from planet Earth.”
Disappointment and Blame
However, over the weekend, the official dearMoon account on X (formerly Twitter) announced the unfortunate cancellation of the trip. Maezawa, from his personal account, blamed SpaceX and Musk for the delay.
“I signed the contract in 2018 based on the assumption that dearMoon would launch by the end of 2023,” wrote the Japanese billionaire. “It’s a developmental project, so it is what it is, but it is still uncertain as to when Starship can launch.”
“I feel terrible making the crew members wait longer, hence the difficult decision to cancel at this point in time,” he continued, “I apologize to those who were excited for this project to happen.”
A Pattern of Delays
This isn’t the first time a Musk-led project has missed deadlines. SpaceX has faced numerous delays and setbacks with its Starship launches, experiencing crashes and explosions. Similarly, Tesla has a history of unfulfilled promises and extensive delays, such as the long-awaited but still-unrevealed Tesla Robotaxi.
Future Implications
Other ventures relying on Starship’s success may see this cancellation as a warning sign. NASA’s upcoming Artemis III mission, set to return humans to the Moon in 2026, also depends on Starship’s readiness—a challenging expectation given its current track record.
Condolences go out to Maezawa and his fellow space enthusiasts. It’s unclear if there was a refund policy in place.