Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa to travel to ISS

TOKYO: Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, CEO of Start Today, Ltd., has started preparations for a tour to the International Space Station (ISS).

Space Adventures, a space experiences company, said on Thursday that Maezawa and his production assistant, Yozo Hirano, are planning to get onboard the Russian Soyuz MS-20 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on December 8, reports Xinhua news agency.

The two have successfully passed the required medical examinations for the space trip. The spaceflight, to be commanded by cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, will last 12 days, the company said.

Maezawa and his crew will receive about three months of spaceflight training in June at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia.

"I'm so curious 'what's life like in space'? So, I am planning to find out on my own and share with the world on my YouTube channel," Maezawa said.

In total, seven self-funded individuals have visited the space station. Maezawa will be the eighth and the first from Japan to take the tour. (IANS)

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