Japanese businessman Yusaku Maezawa arrived at the International Space Station on Wednesday aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, becoming the first Japanese civilian to remain on the space station.
At 2:38 a.m ET, they took off on a Russian Soyuz rocket from Kazakhstan. Docking with the space station approximately six hours later at 8: 40 a.m. ET. Maezawa’s crewmates consist of Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin and Japanese traveler Yozo Hirano, who is Maezawa’s producer and supervisor.
Russia sent Yusaku Maezawa into space ?
The first self-funded space tourist to visit the International Orbit Station in more than ten years, Mr. Maezawa launched into space on a Russian Soyuz rocket on Wednesday.
For many years, a Soyuz spacecraft was the only method to go to the International Space Station (ISS). However, Russia has a history of sending space tourists to the station in the 2000s, including US businessman Dennis Tito, the first person who was not an astronaut.
In 2010, it put a stop to its private space program.
However, when the concept of space tourism gained momentum, helped in part by businesses like SpaceX, it started permitting paying passengers like Mr. Maezawa on its launches once more.
In addition, Russia sent actors Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko to the station in October to shoot sequences for a forthcoming film.
Russian Space Tourism
A tourist who travels to space on a Russian ticket must be at least as physically and technically prepared as a professional astronaut in order to travel to orbit as a team with the space crew.
It takes a lot more time, money, and resources to do this. The system is now vulnerable to accusations that the visitors are using space that should only be used by experts.
However, it may be argued that Russia is providing travelers with a far more authentic space experience.
At a height of 100 kilometres above sea level, Western commercial space missions are only beginning to cross the Karman line, which divides the Earth’s atmosphere from space.
The team is able to experience zero gravity on these journeys, take in breathtaking scenery, and then rapidly return to Earth. The excursion lasts between 10-15 minutes and doesn’t call for any training.
In Russia, the rules are significantly stricter; visitors must stay in space for a least of one week. As Mr. Maezawa has done, they must also be in perfect condition and spend weeks getting ready for the journey at the Baikonur launch pad.
What were Maezawa’s feelings during the space tour?
Maezawa expressed his joy and wonder when he arrived at the station. “There really is space,” he said communicating with Earth shortly after entering the International Space Station.
He had completed about 100 days of training and passed the final exam required to reach the ISS in November.
This billionaire businessman, Yasuku Maezawa will be the tenth civilian to remain in the ISS and is the first Japanese to carry out a business spaceflight in 31 years, after Tokyo Broadcasting system television Inc. reporter Toyohiro Akiyama in 1990.
The space travel industry is growing, led by U.S. companies, with more civilians taking off than astronauts this year. Maezawa said his space travel expenses would amount to about 10 billion yen ($88 million).
How this space journey influenced Maezawa
In 2018, Mr. Maezawa announced that he had purchased a vehicle which is building to take people to the Moon and Mars one day on SpaceX’s upcoming Starship rocket.AFor this mission, called Dear Moon, Maezawa plans to take up to eight people with him on the journey. He originally hoped to bring all the artists with him, but in March he launched a contest to allow anyone from all over the world to apply to fly with him, to give the opportunity to visit as many talented human beings as possible. Maezawa also announced plans in 2020 to film a reality dating show to find a female friend to enter space with him, but in the end, this idea turned into abandonment.
Under a contract with the American space travel company, Space Adventures Inc. Maezawa headed to the International Space Station with his manager Yozo Hirano, 36, and Russian astronaut Alexander Misurkin. Maezawa and Hirano are the first Japanese citizens to fly into space since television journalist Toyohiro Akiyama spent nearly eight days on the former Russian space station Mir in 1990.
Maezawa’s Journey and his training
Misurkin, who’s forty-four years old, is on his third spaceflight, having formerly served at the crews of space station expedition 35/36 and expedition 53/54… BMisurkin had already logged 334 days in space before taking off on Soyuz MS-20. He will guide Maezawa and Hirano all through the mission and will become the first space correspondent for the Russian news agency TASS under an agreement with Roscosmos, Misurkin will set up a TASS news office on the station and post daily reports on crew activities.
With the help of space Adventures, Maezawa has been training within the star city in Russia to prepare for his flight. Maezawa, the adventure-loving soul has further plans of filming his stay at the ISS with Hirano’s help and posting videos of his adventures on his YouTube channel. Maezawa is so excited that he in addition made a list of 100 activities in space, according to Space Adventures. One of the things he hopes to do on his list is to play badminton with Misurkin and fly paper planes and play badminton with an astronaut, do a TikTok dance, and bring air back from the International Space Station. The entrepreneur had asked people to come up with ideas about what to do.
This Japanese businessman is also interested to take part in Russian medical experiments
In addition to filming Maezawa, Hirano will also participate in human health and performance research on behalf of the Translational Research Institute for Spatial Health (TRISH) at Baylor Medical School. Studies will include collecting electrocardiogram (ECG) readings, participating in a series of cognitive tests, and using a portable self-retracting device to collect visual data.
Before taking off Maezawa stated that as he prepares for the launch, he’s excited to share each aspect of his adventure with all of us on this planet,
Maezawa stated his goal is to apply the trip as a springboard for his planned orbit of the Moon with the American company SpaceX in 2023, in what is going to be the first ride of its kind organized by a private company.
He said that he wanted to see this trip as an opportunity to prepare to be the best possible host while, together with eight talented team members from around the world, he embarked on the first civilian mission across the Moon in 2023.
This trip to the international space station is clearly a much quicker way for Maezawa to get his space fixed while he waits for the other one.
Sources: Space.com Washingtonpost.com Theverge.com bbc.com
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