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T.O.P, a member of K-Pop boy band BIGBANG, is among the 10 crew members traveling to the moon next year on the ‘dearMoon’ mission led by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa.
#dearMoon Project
American DJ Steve Aoki, Czech choreographer Yemi A.D, Indian actor Dev Joshi, Irish photographer Rhiannon Adam, American YouTuber Tim Dodd, British photographer Karim Iliya, and American filmmaker Brendan Hall will board one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rockets.
T.O.P, whose real name is Choi Seung-hyun, said he was honored to have been chosen. “I have always fantasized about space and the moon since I was young. I applied to dearMoon because I want to feel new stimulation and enlightenment,” he said in a video.
He further added that he feels a great sense of responsibility and pride to be the first Korean civilian to go to the moon and represent his country. “I look forward to my personal growth and returning to Earth as an artist with new inspiration.”
Maezawa, the founder of the Japanese online fashion retailer Zozo, said 1 million people applicants wanted to join him on the weeklong journey to the moon and back. He purchased all the seats aboard the rocket in 2018.
Last December, he flew on a Russian Soyuz rocket to the International Space Station (ISS) for a 12-day trip.
What to watch out for
Dubbed the #dearMoon Project, the first civilian lunar orbital mission is planned for liftoff in 2023.