dearMoon Mission Seeks Eight Crew Members For A Trip To The Moon In 2023

The dearMoon Project is the first civilian mission to the moon, with plans to take place in 2023. The mission will use a rocket being developed by SpaceX for the week-long journey to the moon and back. Back in 2018, a Japanese entrepreneur named Yusaku Maezawa purchased all eight seats aboard the rocket.

Maezawa said that he wanted to give as many talented individuals as possible the opportunity to travel aboard the rocket. Maezawa announced this month that he intends to choose eight crewmembers from around the world, and he has outlined the roadmap for anyone who wants to take the trip. Preregistration has to be completed by March 14 at 6:59 PST.

Everyone who pre-registers for the mission will receive an email concerning the selection process. The second step in the process is an initial screening that will be completed by March 21 at 6:59 PST. Step three is assignment, step four is an online interview, and step five would be a final interview and medical checkup conducted in late May 2021.

Astronauts aboard the first civilian mission to the moon will fly aboard the SpaceX Starship spacecraft that has been in testing. Currently, Starship isn't ready for a mission with spacecraft prototypes crashing on a couple of occasions during testing. SpaceX designed Starship to carry people and cargo to the moon.

The spacesuits worn by astronauts on the mission are designed by SpaceX, with each suit custom-tailored to provide a pressurized environment for crewmembers aboard the spacecraft in the event of depressurization. The spacesuits also support communications and cooling systems during flight. There is no cost associated with the mission for those chosen; the page for pre-registering for the mission can be found here.