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Yusaku Maezawa canceled dearMoon on June 1, 2024, after the planned launch aboard SpaceX’s Starship missed its end-of-2023 target and no near-term schedule was clear. The target was not established as a binding SpaceX deadline: the project described it as a launch it had been arranging to target, while Maezawa said he signed in 2018 assuming the trip would happen by then.

What was dearMoon?

Announced in 2018, dearMoon was a proposed private voyage around the Moon aboard SpaceX’s Starship. Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa backed the project and planned to invite artists from around the world, with the idea that they would share the experience with the public. The mission was not a completed flight: it was canceled before launch.

The project’s cancellation notice referred to artists but did not state how many people were selected. The Associated Press reported on June 1, 2024, that eight companions had been chosen from one million applicants. Associated Press report.

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Why did Maezawa cancel the trip?

The dearMoon Project’s June 1, 2024 notice said a launch within 2023 had become unfeasible and that there was no clear near-term schedule. It described the cancellation as an unavoidable decision. dearMoon Project notice.

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Maezawa separately explained that the uncertainty made it impossible for him to plan his future and that he felt bad asking crew members to keep waiting. The Associated Press quoted him saying, “I can’t plan my future in this situation and I feel terrible making the crew members wait longer, hence (I made) the difficult decision to cancel at this point in time.” He also said Starship’s launch timing remained uncertain. Associated Press report.

Was the end of 2023 a firm SpaceX deadline?

The available statements support calling the end of 2023 dearMoon’s target, not a publicly guaranteed or binding launch deadline. The project notice said it had been making arrangements to target a launch by then. AP reported that Maezawa said he signed the 2018 contract on the assumption that the mission would launch by the end of 2023. Those accounts describe a target and his expectation; they do not establish that SpaceX guaranteed that date.

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What happened before the cancellation?

By November 2023, TechCrunch reported that dearMoon had been delayed indefinitely. It described the planned flight as intended to be the first Starship mission to carry people around the Moon and back. That was reporting about the plan at the time, not a statement about Starship’s current readiness or a future launch schedule. TechCrunch report.

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Maezawa announced the cancellation on June 1, 2024. In a June 3, 2024 report, Futurism quoted him apologizing to people who had been excited about the project. Futurism report.

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Is there a replacement date or refund information?

The cited cancellation notice provides no replacement flight date or refund policy. It says Maezawa and the crew members would continue in their respective fields, but does not describe individual plans.

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