Refinitiv Newscasts - Japanese billionaire adds DJ, K-pop star to moon trip
09/12/2022 08:15
Click the following link to watch video: https://share.newscasts.refinitiv.com/link?entryId=1_8ia0fsyz&referenceId=tag:reuters.com,2022:newsml_RW558409122022RP1_930&pageId=RefinitivNewscasts Source: Reuters Description: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa revealed on Friday that K-pop star TOP and DJ Steve Aoki will be among the eight crew members he plans to take on a trip around the moon as soon as next year, hitching a ride on one of Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets. Ryan Chang reports. Short Link: https://refini.tv/3h8Evij Video Transcript: The Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has made his choices for who will ride around the moon with him on a SpaceX trip. They include DJ Steve Aoki, K-pop star TOP and, and six others, a project he calls dearMoon, that's set to launch as soon as next year. Maezawa made his fortune founding Japanese online fashion retailer Zozo, and he had bought every seat on SpaceX’s maiden lunar voyage. Maezawa claims one million people had applied on Twitter to be crew for his moon trip, as he announced his eight picks. Among high-profile members were TOP, the stage name of Choi Seung Hyun who gained fame with K-pop group Big Bang and Steve Aoki, a Japanese-American musician and DJ whose father founded the Benihana restaurant chain. Indian actor Dev Joshi was also among the picks for the group, comprised largely of artists and photographers. US Olympic snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington and Japanese dancer Miyu were named as backup crew members. The group is expected to embark on an eight-day expedition, from launch to returning to earth. Although the flight was scheduled for 2023, it is facing delays due to ongoing tests of the spacecraft and its rockets. It will be Yusaku Maezawa’s second trip to space, after he boarded the International Space Station in 2021 on a Soyuz spacecraft