SpaceX Just Got a Huge Benefactor: Japanese Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa
The brainchild of Elon Musk—SpaceX—has just been sold to Japanese billionaire and founder of Japan’s e-commerce giant Zozotown, Yusaku Maezawa, guaranteeing him a seat for a trip to outer space.
Announced earlier this week, Maezawa is the first to secure a place on Musk’s Big Falcon Rocket. It was later revealed that the Japanese billionaire also secured eight other tickets for artists of varying mediums to view the moon. He hopes that the trip will help them to “create work to reflect their experience.” No doubt, it will.
The news was formally revealed during Musk’s #dearMoon project announcement. While many in the art world know Maezawa as the man who paid $110.5 million for a 1982 Jean-Michel Basquiat, those who aren’t interested in art politics may not know about him. Ranked the 18th richest person of Japan, his net worth is $2.7 billion.
Musk has estimated the trip will take place in 2023.