Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa is set to go to the International Space Station this week.
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft will carry Mr Maezawa, 46, founder of Japan’s largest online fashion mall, into space along with video producer Yozo Hirano and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin on Wednesday.
A launch is scheduled for 11.38am, UAE time, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, and will be streamed live by the Russian space agency Roscosmos and Nasa.
Mr Maezawa plans to document his 12-day stay on the space station for his 754,000 subscribers on YouTube.
He booked his and his producer’s ticket through Space Adventures, a tourism company that has sent seven paying customers into space so far.
“Final check of the Soyuz before launch. I have carefully checked the position of the GoPro camera installed on the spacecraft. It’s a scary feeling,” Mr Maezawa tweeted.
The billionaire has been sharing his experience of the intense training all amateur and professional astronauts must undergo before a mission.
This includes spending 10 to 15 minutes in a spinning chair to adjust the eyes and brain to the movement.
Trainees must also sleep on a bed that is tilted up to familiarise astronauts with the feeling of blood rushing to the head.
“The spinning chair is torture. It’s one of the hardest things and I have to do it every day,” Mr Maezawa said last month.
The trip is also part of Russia’s efforts to establish a space tourism industry and stay relevant in the modern space race.
American companies like Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic have successfully sent space tourists in to space.
Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson flew on his company’s spacecraft on July 12, along with a pilot and four other crew members.
Later that month, Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos flew to space on his company’s vessel.
Since then, the space tourism company has also taken Star Trek actor William Shatner into space.
On December 9, another Blue Origin flight will take a crew of six to space, including Laura Shepard, daughter of America’s first astronaut Alan Shepard, and Super Bowl champion Michael Strahan.
Nasa no longer has to rely on using Russian rockets to send its astronauts to space. It is now using Elon Musk’s SpaceX rockets.
Roscosmos beat Hollywood in October when it sent a Russian actress and director to the space station to film a movie.
American actor Tom Cruise and director Doug Liman are planning to film a movie in space.
Mr Maezawa’s journey to space is part of his ambitious plans to go to the Moon one day.
He has paid for a SpaceX flight that would take eight amateur astronauts around the Moon in 2023, including him.
"Ever since I was a kid, I have loved the Moon. This is my lifelong dream," he said when the announcement was made in 2018.
"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.”
FIGHT%20CARD
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
You may remember …
Robbie Keane (Atletico de Kolkata) The Irish striker is, along with his former Spurs teammate Dimitar Berbatov, the headline figure in this season’s ISL, having joined defending champions ATK. His grand entrance after arrival from Major League Soccer in the US will be delayed by three games, though, due to a knee injury.
Dimitar Berbatov (Kerala Blasters) Word has it that Rene Meulensteen, the Kerala manager, plans to deploy his Bulgarian star in central midfield. The idea of Berbatov as an all-action, box-to-box midfielder, might jar with Spurs and Manchester United supporters, who more likely recall an always-languid, often-lazy striker.
Wes Brown (Kerala Blasters) Revived his playing career last season to help out at Blackburn Rovers, where he was also a coach. Since then, the 23-cap England centre back, who is now 38, has been reunited with the former Manchester United assistant coach Meulensteen, after signing for Kerala.
Andre Bikey (Jamshedpur) The Cameroonian defender is onto the 17th club of a career has taken him to Spain, Portugal, Russia, the UK, Greece, and now India. He is still only 32, so there is plenty of time to add to that tally, too. Scored goals against Liverpool and Chelsea during his time with Reading in England.
Emiliano Alfaro (Pune City) The Uruguayan striker has played for Liverpool – the Montevideo one, rather than the better-known side in England – and Lazio in Italy. He was prolific for a season at Al Wasl in the Arabian Gulf League in 2012/13. He returned for one season with Fujairah, whom he left to join Pune.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last-16, second leg (first-leg scores in brackets):
PSG (2) v Manchester United (0)
Midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Ajax v Real Madrid, midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Why the Tourist Club?
Originally, The Club (which many people chose to call the “British Club”) was the only place where one could use the beach with changing rooms and a shower, and get refreshments.
In the early 1970s, the Government of Abu Dhabi wanted to give more people a place to get together on the beach, with some facilities for children. The place chosen was where the annual boat race was held, which Sheikh Zayed always attended and which brought crowds of locals and expatriates to the stretch of beach to the left of Le Méridien and the Marina.
It started with a round two-storey building, erected in about two weeks by Orient Contracting for Sheikh Zayed to use at one these races. Soon many facilities were planned and built, and members were invited to join.
Why it was called “Nadi Al Siyahi” is beyond me. But it is likely that one wanted to convey the idea that this was open to all comers. Because there was no danger of encountering alcohol on the premises, unlike at The Club, it was a place in particular for the many Arab expatriate civil servants to join. Initially the fees were very low and membership was offered free to many people, too.
Eventually there was a skating rink, bowling and many other amusements.
Frauke Heard-Bey is a historian and has lived in Abu Dhabi since 1968.
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
