Shamil Zhumatov

ZHEZKAZGAN. Kazakhstan (Reuters). Yusaku Maezawa, a Japanese billionaire returned to Earth Monday following a twelve-day trip into space. He was completing a training run in preparation for the 2023 mission around the moon that he will be taking with SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

He was 46 years old and a fashion magnate.

Maezawa was a passionate space traveler and made the journey in a Soyuz Spacecraft. He became the first tourist to visit the International Space Station (ISS).

Maezawa is one of Japan’s most charismatic public figures. From space, he took photos of Chiba and shared them with his social media fans.

The snowy conditions of Earth were returned by the entrepreneur. There was precipitation, sub-zero temperatures and freezing rain at the landing location about 150 kilometers (93 mi) southeast of Zhezkazgan in central Kazakhstan.

Maezawa will be the SpaceX’s first private passenger in 2023. This is as commercial companies like Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin bring a new era of high-end space travel to wealthy clients.

This billionaire sold Zozo, his online fashion company, to SoftBank in 2019. He is looking for 8 people to join him on his 2023 moon journey. Applicants must pass medical exams and interview.