Billionaire Recently Returned From Space Plans Another Incredible Adventure
From space to the deepest place on Earth... this is a dream that will come true for a famous Japanese billionaire.
Yusaku Maezawa, the entrepreneur who last month became the first Japanese civilian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), announced on Friday that he is planning a new adventure, this time a trip to the Mariana Trench, the deepest known location on Earth.
Maezawa talked about his exploration project in the Mariana Trench at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Tokyo, saying that it has almost been decided what kind of submarine will be used and how long the voyage will take.
Yusaku Maezawa also said that his trip into space had given him a new appreciation for Earth, and he now hopes to plunge into the ocean's enigmatic Mariana Trench.
"I am thinking about going down to the Mariana Trench, deep under the ocean," he said.
"Not only to go to the Moon, not just to travel upwards but also downwards is another dream of mine," Yusaku Maezawa added.
Details of the plan will be announced later.
Yusaku Maezawa, the entrepreneur who last month became the first Japanese civilian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS), announced on Friday that he is planning a new adventure, this time a trip to the Mariana Trench, the deepest known location on Earth.
Maezawa talked about his exploration project in the Mariana Trench at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Tokyo, saying that it has almost been decided what kind of submarine will be used and how long the voyage will take.
Yusaku Maezawa also said that his trip into space had given him a new appreciation for Earth, and he now hopes to plunge into the ocean's enigmatic Mariana Trench.
"I am thinking about going down to the Mariana Trench, deep under the ocean," he said.
"Not only to go to the Moon, not just to travel upwards but also downwards is another dream of mine," Yusaku Maezawa added.
Details of the plan will be announced later.
Yusaku Maezawa Wants To Plunge Into Mariana Trench
The billionaire said last month, in a live radio link from space, that his next wish will be to fulfill his dream of traveling to the deepest place on Earth. The Mariana Trench is the deepest place on Earth and has rarely been visited by humans.
"I want to keep taking on challenges," Maezawa said, according to AFP.
Yusaku Maezawa, known for his eccentric behavior, through actions such as the one in which he offered money on Twitter, proved to be different from other Japanese entrepreneurs who generally avoid taking risks.
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carried Maezawa to the ISS on December 8 last year, with the billionaire returning to Earth on December 20.
"I had underestimated zero gravity. I have become newly aware of the heaviness of Earth's gravity," he said at the press conference.
"I want to keep taking on challenges," Maezawa said, according to AFP.
Yusaku Maezawa, known for his eccentric behavior, through actions such as the one in which he offered money on Twitter, proved to be different from other Japanese entrepreneurs who generally avoid taking risks.
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carried Maezawa to the ISS on December 8 last year, with the billionaire returning to Earth on December 20.
"I had underestimated zero gravity. I have become newly aware of the heaviness of Earth's gravity," he said at the press conference.
Yusaku Maezawa Also Plans To Go To The Moon
Maezawa's space odyssey, which is believed to have cost around 10 billion yen, has attracted controversy and even criticism. Some called it a "hedonistic hobby". This didn't impress him much, nor discourage him, but quite the opposite.
The founder of online fashion retailer Zozo Inc. plans to orbit the Moon in 2023 with the Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) spacecraft developed by the American company SpaceX, in the first trip of this kind organized by a private company.
Returning from his trip aboard the ISS, in which he was accompanied by his assistant, Yozo Hirano, and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, he said he hoped to visit the moon at some point.
His trip around the moon is scheduled for just over a year, and the tycoon and art collector said he hopes to reveal who will accompany him soon. He previously said he plans to bring six to eight world-renowned artists on board.
"When you take on challenges, of course, you will sometimes be criticized and sometimes fail. There may be some people who get scared and quit," was his answer to the criticism.
"As for me, I am not always successful. I don't make all my dreams come true. But I still believe it's fun to take on challenges."
