Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa announces the cancellation of the "dearMoon" mission, a private flight around the moon aboard a SpaceX spacecraft.
The project faced uncertainties in its development timeline, leading Maezawa to make the "unavoidable" decision to cancel the mission.
The dearMoon team cited the lack of a "clear schedule certainty in the near-term" as the primary reason behind the cancellation.
Maezawa expressed frustration over the delays and uncertainty plaguing the project's progress, leading him to cancel the mission.
The dearMoon crew, comprising eight artists and creatives handpicked by Maezawa, had aimed to embark on the historic journey by the end of 2023.
SpaceX faced setbacks in the development of its next-generation Starship rocket, which was intended to ferry Maezawa's crew into space.
Two high-altitude test flights of the Starship rocket in 2022 ended in explosions, while a third attempt in March 2023 failed to achieve the intended splashdown.
Despite signing the contract in 2018, assuming the launch would happen by the end of 2023, it remained uncertain when Starship could actually launch.
In summary, the much-hyped private trip to the Moon, known as the "dearMoon" mission, was cancelled due to uncertainties in the development timeline and the lack of a clear schedule certainty. The project faced setbacks in the development of the Starship rocket, which was intended to ferry Maezawa's crew into space. Despite the disappointment, Maezawa extended his well-wishes to SpaceX as they continue their efforts to advance the revolutionary Starship system.