This archive report was first published on 13 January 2020.
Japanese fashion billionaire Yusaku Maezawa is set to make history as the first private customer to ride on SpaceX's Starship, a trip that will take him around the moon in 2023.
However, Maezawa has now announced that he wants to share this experience with a romantic partner, and is calling on single women to apply to be his companion on the journey.
According to a tweet by Maezawa, the application deadline is January 17, 2020, and he will make a final selection by the end of March after going on dates with the applicants.
As reported by SpaceX in September 2018, Maezawa had put down a significant deposit to secure his place on the Starship, with CEO Elon Musk noting that the payment would help partially fund the development of the vehicle.
Speaking about his decision to seek a partner, Maezawa said: 'I have lived exactly as I've wanted to until now. I'm 44 now. As feelings of loneliness and emptiness slowly begin to surge upon me, there's one thing that I think about: Continuing to love one woman.'
