Who is Yusaku Maezawa
• Maezawa is chief executive of Japan's largest online fashion mall, and is the 18th richest person in Japan with a fortune of USD 3 billion, according to the business magazine Forbes.
• His other hobby is amassing valuable works of modern art and last year, he announced the acquisition of a Jean-Michel Basquiat masterpiece worth $110.5 million.
• His love of art led him to decide to invite artists to come along for the trip. "I would like to invite six to eight artists from around the world to join me on this mission to the Moon," Maezawa said.
• SpaceX CEO Elon Musk described Maezawa as the "bravest" and "best adventurer."
Musk said that the organisation was honored that Maezawa chose them. He further said that he would not reveal the price Maezawa paid for the Moon trip but said it would be "free for the artists." "This is dangerous, to be clear. This is no walk in the park," Musk cautioned. The first space tourist was Dennis Tito, an American businessman who in 2001 paid some $20 million to fly on a Russian spaceship to the International Space Station.
(With inputs from PTI)