T.O.P on canceled dearMoon lunar flyby mission: 'My dream is by no means over'
South Korean rapper and singer-songwriter T.O.P. has released his statement on the cancellation of Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa's dearMoon project.
In case you didn't know, the mission was set to include eight civilians in a circumlunar trajectory flight around the moon to inspire them to create.
According to their website, SpaceX was arranging to target the launch by the end of 2023.
However, the launch became "unfeasible," causing the project to be scrapped.
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'My dream is by no means over'
On Instagram, T.O.P said he is deeply grateful for being part of the project, despite it failing to take off.
"Being selected as a dearMoon crew member was one of the greatest honors of my life. My heart is full of gratitude for the experiences I gained and the friendships I made through this process," the K-pop star said, highlighting the crew's courage to even attempt this mission, which was "truly extraordinary to witness."
"Over the last few years since joining dearMoon, I feel that my body and soul have forged a deep, direct connection with the moon. My imagination has expanded to places I would have never expected as I prepared for moon exploration."
T.O.P continued, "As a Korean artist, this experience has had a profound impact on my life and the music I make. My body and soul connected with the moon and space has already inspired me to compose a lot of new music, some of which I look forward to sharing soon. The moon has and will continue to nourish my soul and fill me up with meaning and inspiration forever."
The 36-year-old BIGBANG star also stated that the dearMoon mission would fulfill his dream of going to space, changing his life and perspective forever.
"My dream to travel to the moon is not over. It has become the ultimate and greatest goal of my life, an official challenge, and a core mission for my life," he said, adding that he is thankful to all the people who cheered for and supported him throughout this process.
"I will never give up on my dreams, and I will continue to pursue new adventures that challenge me. This is for everyone who strives with love. Life is most beautiful for you who believe everything is possible," he concluded.
The dearMoon project was set to utilize a spacecraft developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX to fly around the moon for approximately one week.
In March of 2021, Maezawa, also the founder of Japan's largest online shopping mall, opened applications for the trip and welcomed people worldwide to apply for a spot on the crew.
According to Soompi, over 1 million people from 249 countries and regions worldwide applied to take one of the eight spots.
Aside from the former BIGBANG member, the crew included YouTube creator Tim Dodd, DJ Steve Aoki, choreographer Yemi A.D. photographer Karim Iliya, filmmaker Brendan Hall, and actor Dev Joshi.