Japanese billionaire blasts off to International Space Station
Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa has blasted off on a trip to the International Space Station (ISS), joining the growing list of billionaires who have made it to space.
He plans to carry out 100 tasks in space, including playing golf.
Mr Maezawa made his fortune through e-commerce companies including Zozotown.
He was once a drummer in a punk rock band, and last year launched a show in search of a new girlfriend to join him in space, but later cancelled it.
A Russian rocket carrying Mr Maezawa took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
He is expected to spend 12 days at the ISS, and is the first space tourist to visit the station in recent years.
It is a precursor to Mr Maezawa's much-publicised trip to the Moon in 2023.
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Wednesday's launch saw Mr Maezawa accompanied by Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin and video producer Yozo Hirano, who is documenting the voyage for the billionaire's YouTube channel.
Mr Maezawa underwent a rigorous training programme prior to the launch, which included sleeping on an inclined bed, being spun around in a chair and playing long periods of badminton - all of which he has documented on social media
In an earlier press conference Mr Maezawa said the trip was a "dream come true".
"People can have hopes and dreams (by seeing that) a regular person like me can go into such an unknown world," said the billionaire.
He has promised to perform 100 tasks while on the ISS, culled from a list of suggestions contributed by the public.
It ranges from the expected, such as introducing his fellow astronauts and showing viewers what life is like on the ISS; to the more whimsical such as playing golf, blowing bubbles, and throwing a paper aeroplane.
Mr Maezawa's voyage, which is reportedly costing him $88m (£66m), follows fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos' short journey to space and Richard Branson's trip to the edge of space earlier this year, in rockets built by their private companies.
Culled: BBC News
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