Japanese billionaire seeks eight strangers to fly with him to the Moon

If making it to the Moon has been an ambition of yours, then a Japanese billionaire may be about to make those dreams come true.

Yusaku Maezawa is inviting eight people to join him on a SpaceX voyage that is set to kick-start space tourism.

The founder of Japanese online fashion store Zozo, is on the hunt for crew members from across the world to go into orbit with him on the Starship rocket being developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX.

The mission, called dearMoon, is scheduled to fly in 2023 and will be the first lunar journey by humans in more than 50 years. It's also set to be the first private commercial spaceflight.

Anyone who wants to be part of it can preregister on the dearMoon website, with applications open until Sunday, March 14.

Those selected will enjoy a six-day lunar trip – three days to reach the Moon and loop behind it, then another three days to come back to Earth.

Highlights will include seeing our planet's bright blue colours from a lunar vantage point, and the possibility of seeing an Earthrise – where the planet's round shape will appear from beyond the Moon's horizon.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will cover all the costs of the private lunar expedition. AFP

Fashion mogul and art collector Maezawa, who also goes by the name MZ, purchased all the seats for the first commercial trip to the Moon in 2018.

"I will pay for the entire journey," confirmed the entrepreneur. There will be up to 12 people on board the flight, but there are eight seats up for grabs for members of the public, who will fly for free.

Initial screenings of applications are scheduled to take place before Sunday, March 21, after which assignments, online interviews and medical check-ups will be conducted.

Final interviews are planned for late May 2021, but this is subject to change.

Who can apply to fly to the Moon?

Speaking to would-be applicants from his home in Tokyo, Maezawa details the two criteria people need to fulfil in order to apply.

Applicants must be able to use the trip to help "push the envelope" in their creative industry and to help "other people and greater society" in some way.

Secondly, applicants must be willing to support the other crew members throughout the mission.

"I'm inviting you to join me on this mission. Eight of you from all around the world," said the billionaire.

"I hope that together we can make it a fun trip."

Elon Musk confident of mission date

SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk said he was optimistic the mission will go ahead in two years time.

The SpaceX Starship SN9 explodes into a fireball after its high altitude test flight from test facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. Reuters

Inspiration4 mission commander Jared Isaacman, founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments, stands for a portrait in front of the recovered first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket at Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) in Hawthorne, California. AFP

SpaceX starships SN9(L) and SN10 continue to wait for test flights as the sun sets at the launch facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. Reuters

The SpaceX Starship SN9 prototype rocket descends after a test flight from its launch pad in a still image from video in Boca Chica, Texas. Reuters

The SpaceX Starship SN9 prototype rocket lifts off for a test flight from its launch pad in a still image from video in Boca Chica, Texas. Reuters

The SpaceX launches Starship SN9 for a test flight from its facilities in Boca Chica, Texas. Reuters

Spectators at Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island, Texas, look up for a glimpse of SpaceX's bullet-shaped Starship prototype during a test launch. AP

"I'm highly confident that we will have reached orbit many times with Starship before 2023. And that it will be safe enough for human transport ... It's looking very, very promising," confirmed Musk in the dearMoon promotional video.

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The first civilian mission to the Moon is also set to go further into space than any other has before.

"We're going to go past the Moon, so it will actually end up being further. People will go further than any human has ever gone from planet Earth," revealed Musk.

MZ's call for applicants from all walks of life is an update on his announcement two years ago, when he initially invited artists to join him for the ride.

He explains that the meaning of the word "artist" became "ambiguous" to him the more he thought about it, so he decided to reach out to a more diverse pool of people.

Maezawa admits he is "a little scared, but more curious" and says he hopes the trip will help remind him how small and insignifcant he is.

In 2020, Maezawa also launched a search for a new girlfriend to join him on the ride to the Moon. He has since cancelled this plan.

How much he paid Musk to secure all the seats on the first private flight to the Moon remains a mystery.

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A new relationship with the old country

Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates

The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:

ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.

ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.

ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.

ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.

DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.

Signed

Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.

- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law