A Japanese billionaire is going to the International Space Station for the first time in more than a decade, and boy does his excitement show.
I am excited. Yusaku Maezawa told reporters at a pre-launch news conference that he felt like an elementary school student. I did not think I would be able to go to space. I used to enjoy the stars and heavenly bodies. I feel fortunate to have this opportunity to fulfill my dream.
The billionaire who founded Japan's Zozotown is taking off with his assistant Yozo Hirano and cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin on a Russian Soyuz rocket for a 12-day trip that launches tomorrow.
Maezawa is the first civilian in a decade to buy access to the International Space Station. Space Tourism, the company that the billionaire is contracted to fly with, sells bookings for an estimated $200 million a pop, although we don't know the exact cost of his two tickets.
Look at this guy's face. He looks like he just went to the world's biggest toy store, but this is not the case.
