SpaceX’s Moon Flight Delays Cause Japanese Billionaire to Cancel Rocket Charter

The supposed Moon mission to be flown by SpaceX using the Starship is now canceled by the Japanese billionaire, who initially chartered the company's rocket and services around six years ago. This is with Yusaku Maezawa's dearMoon project, which was created in 2018, an ambitious project where they will fly around the lunar satellite along with eight artists hitching a seat.

In the recent announcement, Maezawa claimed that the main reason behind his cancellation was Starship's massive delay in development.

SpaceX's Moon Flight Delays: Japanese Billionaire Cancels Rocket Charter

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa shared a recent update on X that he is canceling the dearMoon project, which was supposedly a joint venture between him and SpaceX. This centered on chartering the Starship for a venture around the Moon and back to the planet using the stainless steel spacecraft made for deep space exploration.

According to Maezawa, he initially signed the contract in 2018 with beliefs and claims that the Starship rocket would be ready for the planned dearMoon mission launch by the end of 2023.

However, it is known that the Starship is not yet ready, with the spacecraft conducting its static fire test for Booster 10 last December.

SpaceX's Starship for dearMoon Project is No Longer Happening

It took Maezawa around six months to confirm the dearMoon project's cancelation even after SpaceX could not deliver on its Starship during the Yuletide season. Maezawa added that he feels "terrible" for making the crew members wait for this mission, further saying "I can't plan my future in this situation."

The billionaire also said that canceling dearMoon was a difficult decision for him.

SpaceX's Starship Development

After a successful static fire test last December, SpaceX has considered launching further tests for the Starship stainless steel rocket, which would mark the next step in its deep space exploration plans. However, from late 2023 to early 2024, there have been many mishaps in Starship's uncrewed launches, leading to the rocketship blowing up mid-air.

Last February, SpaceX faced new requirements from the US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) regarding corrective actions for the Starship before it launches again. This follows the explosive ending of SpaceX's second Starship test flight, with the FAA claiming that there are 17 corrective actions to take and identifying the "root causes" of SpaceX's issues.

SpaceX promptly applied it, which allowed them to relaunch the Starship in March. However, that too saw an explosion and the spacecraft's disintegration, but the company celebrated it as it reached an important milestone. Elon Musk previously regarded these events as happening when testing rockets, but it also marks massive delays for the project, something which Maezawa cannot wait for in his dearMoon project.