Japanese billionaire looks at other companies as Musk’s Starship delayed: Report

Japanese billionaire Yuzaku Maezawa was hoping to go on a trip around the Moon on SpaceX's Starship this year but the mission has been delayed.

Yusaku Maezawa pictured here during a trip to the International Space Station. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Japanese billionaire Yuzaku Maezawa, who was selected to lead the debut flight of SpaceX’s Starship, is now looking at other space technology firms as the Elon Musk-led company’s launch vehicle and spacecraft have ben delayed.

Fashion tycoon Maezawa bought every seat on Starship’s first passenger voyage, which would have taken him on a trip around the Moon. He picked K-pop star TOP, DJ Steve Aoki, Indian actor Dev Joshi and others to join him on the trip.

“We were planning for our lunar orbital mission “dearMoon” to take place in 2023, but seems like it will take a little longer. We’re not sure when the flight will be, but we will give you all an update once we know more,” posted Maezawa on the platform X on Thursday.

SpaceX suffered a setback in its development of Starship, which would be the most powerful rocket in human history once its complete. During its debut flight test in April this year, the launch vehicle took off from the company’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas before exploding mid-air shortly after. In light of the explosion, the country’s Federal Aviation Administration had grounded Starship until the company takes some corrective action.

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This means that even if Starship goes on its second test flight before the year ends in another month, there is a very slim chance of a passenger flight happening any time soon. In the meanwhile, Maezawa is spending time on and investing in other space companies with many goals, reports Bloomberg.

Maezawa in 2021 became the first Japanese private citizen to visit the International Space Station after spending 12 days on the orbiting space habitat. In February this year, he invested $23 million in Astroscale, which is working on tackling the growing problem of space debris. He also invested an undisclosed amount in the Tokyo-based company Space Data Co. Ltd. in August.