Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa invites eight people to join him on Elon Musk's SpaceX Moon trip
A trip to the Moon may feel like it's a million light years away for most but space enthusiasts could be 'one small step' closer to their dream thanks to a Japanese billionaire.
Yusaku Maezawa has invited eight members of the public to join him for a trip around the moon on Elon Musk's SpaceX flight.
The entrepreneur - who was announced as the world's first commercial passenger to do a flyby around the Moon in 2018 - will pay for the entire journey.
The mission, called dearMoon, is scheduled to fly in 2023 - the first lunar journey by humans since 1972.
"I'm inviting you to join me on this mission," he said in a video via Twitter, where he also shared a link to application details. "Eight of you from all around the world. The mission will take place two years from now, in 2023. I want people from all kinds of backgrounds to join."
If you're interested in joining the space mission, you can pre-register on Maezawa's dearMoon website until March 14. After that, the website states that "everyone who pre-registers will receive an email about the selection process." Applicants need to meet two criteria: they should advance "whatever activity" they are in to "help other people and greater society in some way", and are "willing to support other crew members who share similar aspirations", he said.
The fashion mogul and art collector has bought all the seats onboard the mission, "so it will be a private ride", Maezawa added.
Last year, the billionaire launched a documentary search for a new girlfriend to join him on the trip, but he cancelled the callout over "mixed feelings". The price Mr Maezawa agreed to pay for his ticket to space has not been disclosed, but according to Elon Musk it was "a lot of money".