DearMoon – 8 Crew Members Wanted for Mission to the Moon

There remains a massive credibility gap when it comes to talk about space tourism. Many people think the prospect of taking a trip to space is more ‘pie in the sky’ than ‘all systems go’. And even if it does happen, it will be for billionaires like Elon Musk and Sir Richard Branson, not the likes of you and me.

…Well how about a trip to the Moon for free? And this isn’t some sci-fi yarn set in the far distant future either. Called dearMoon, the tickets are ready, the spacecraft is waiting, and the planned launch date is 2023.

It’s a completely genuine offer too. The flight is already in the advanced planning stage, and all available tickets have been bought in advance by Japanese fashion billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. Now he’s offering eight vacant seats on his private six day flight for free. All you have to do is apply.

There is a fair chance it will happen to schedule too. The flight is being planned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX Corporation, using its new Starship and Super Heavy Rocket combination. Remember that SpaceX already have a proven track record of sending humans into space. The company has sent several cargo missions to the International Space Station (ISS) and is now fully certified to carry humans too. The company’s first crewed trip came with the Crew-1 mission in November 2020, when three NASA astronauts and their Japanese colleague were sent on a six month tour of duty to the ISS.

The mission was a complete success, with the four astronauts continuing to complete their mission on board. A second trip to the ISS is planned for April 2021. What’s more, the Starship rocket and capsule combination which will be used to ferry the dearMoon mission to the Moon and back, is due a high altitude test in early March 2020. This is the first stage in testing the spaceship’s readiness for space travel.

With a proven track record and testing at such an advanced stage, confidence is high that the dearMoon mission will go ahead as scheduled. What’s more, Maezawa is paying for everything, so whoever gets a ticket will fly for free on what is effectively a charter flight to the Moon.

So how do you get on board? Well, intrepid applicants need to meet two criteria: they have to describe and explain how their being on board will “help other people and greater society in some way”, and to promise to “support other crew members who share similar aspirations”. Sounds fair enough – you certainly won’t need to be a super-fit daredevil with a degree in rocket science that’s for sure.

In fact, the original idea was to invite artists such as musicians, painters, photographers and novelists to join him, but even this broad specification has been widened into his new two-pronged qualification criteria. Now anyone who thinks of themselves as an artist, no matter what their medium, is eligible to apply.

As Maezawa himself admits, flying to the Moon “may seem like a crazy idea now, but soon it will be widely accepted. Someone has to do something crazy first, to change the views and future.” So if you fancy joining him on his inspirational trip, and being part of the first human mission to the Moon for fifty years, you know where to apply…