TOP Joins SpaceX Expedition to Become the First South Korean Civilian to Visit the Moon

It has been fifty-four years since man first landed on the moon. Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa and his eight crew members are the latest to join the mission on one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rockets.

So, who is joining the crew? K-pop star TOP is among the eight crew members hitching a ride on SpaceX. With TOP’s SpaceX mission, he will become the first South Korean civilian to visit the moon. It seems that TOP’s iconic astronaut scene in the Big Bang “Still Life” music video is coming true. In a recent video released by the dearMoon website, TOP revealed he has always fantasised about space and the moon since childhood.

TOP will become the first Korean civilian to visit moon

The Japanese billionaire Maezawa is sponsoring every passenger on the maiden lunar voyage, that has been in the works since 2018. The eight-member crew comprises entertainers, artists and athletes. TOP, the stage name of Choi Seung Hyun, is among the selected members, along with Steve Aoki, a Japanese American musician, DJ, and YouTuber Tim Dodd. The K-pop star and the crew would become the first passengers on a private SpaceX flight around the moon.

Several artists will join Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa

The Japanese billionaire hopes to take the trip to the moon as soon as next year. The proposed lunar voyage in the Year of the Rabbit would take eight days from launch to return. Then, the Starship vehicle would circle the moon for three days and come within 200 kilometres of the lunar surface.

月旅行のクルーが決まりました！
Crew for Moon Trip Selected!!#dearMoonCrew @dearmoonproject https://t.co/Fle1vbPplD

— 前澤友作@MZDAO (@yousuck2020) December 8, 2022

The Japanese tycoon announced the dearMoon mission in 2018. In a video, he said he would give artists from around the globe a chance to join this remarkable journey. The fashion mogul was named the first passenger to take a trip around the moon by Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s Starship rocket. The billionaire has paid a hefty amount for this trip aboard the Starship spacecraft.

The new age of space travel for wealthy clients is finally here.

The story first appeared here.