DearMoon, the first private circum-lunar flight project, will be cancelled
twitter.com
twitter.com
> Regarding the dearMoon project cancellation.
> I signed the contract in 2018 based on the assumption that dearMoon would launch by the end of 2023.
> It’s a developmental project so it is what it is, but it is still uncertain as to when Starship can launch.
https://twitter.com/yousuckMZ/status/1796778109259403300
> I can’t plan my future in this situation, and I feel terrible making the crew members wait longer, hence the difficult decision to cancel at this point in time.
> I apologize to those who were excited for this project to happen.
____
Essentially, he can't setup a training regimen for his astronauts, if he doesn't know when and if the launch vessel will ever exist, much less get a license.
There were 8-9 people that were supposed to travel, they are not professional astronauts, they have lives and careers, you can at best book an year of their time.
But that only works when you know that at the end of that year, you WILL launch, otherwise the skills get rusty, not to mention life gets in the way.
Compare with Jared Isaacman and his Inspiration4 launch, the rocket and the capsule (Falcon 9 and Dragon) already existed and flight tested, he just had to take care of his end of the bargain and then the rocket was ready to take off.
- The judging criteria for the first round appeared to have been based on social media followers which you had to enter with your essay and contact information.
- Getting an "ARIGATOU" on the submission confirmation screen was supposedly better than a "THANKYOU".
- The company behind it appeared to be operating from a Tokyo residential address, and company records indicated it was involved in selling home stereo equipment.
- There's been speculation on Reddit about it being a data mining operation; although nobody has any good theories on what they would use the data for.
--
Maezawa went to space in 2021 aboard the Soyuz. When coupled with the delays perhaps he decided that was all the space he needed.
I forgot this was to launch in 2023. Who had any confidence in that launch window, I though it was at last a 10 year plan, so another 5 years.
That's a long time for sure, but did anyone really believe a 2023 launch, of Starship around the moon, with people on board no less?
Yeah. It is weird. I can believe that it was a tentative “yeah, let’s pencil in that date” kind of plan. But it makes no sense to pick a firm date and then cancel the whole thing when things inevitably slip. Or at least that puts me into question how serious they ever was about the project?
Also, I'll note: It is completely about the delays. That's what dearmoon says and that's what the participants of the flight say, and that's what reporters about it say.
There aren't any rumored performance issues with Starship. On some hate forums there's a few people that have tried to claim, using a slide from a SpaceX presentation that shows the achieved orbit of the recent Starship launch, that it is somehow indicative of the entire performance of the vehicle going forward. Rather than just their own malicious misinterpretation of the facts.
Here's the comments by one of the people involved: https://x.com/Erdayastronaut/status/1796760324055404627
> And just like that, the dreams of my crew are over.
> I have such mixed emotions about dearMoon’s cancellation. Of course I’m extremely disappointed, having dreamt about this mission since I first heard about it in 2018 and even more for the last 3 years since the selection process started. I slowly allowed myself to envision a trip to the Moon one little bit by little bit. On the other hand, I have guilt about being upset about a gift that was retracted. A part of me doesn’t feel I’m entitled to grieve since I wasn’t entitled to this mission in the first place. But the reality is, I’ll need to allow myself to grieve this loss as it became a big part of my life, my dreams, and my visions.
> Going to space has never been a thing I’ve actively pursued in general. It’s not a goal of Everyday Astronaut. It was simply a cherry on top. Granted, a HUGE cherry, but I’ll be just fine without this mission. I’m extremely fortunate to have the life and the career I have and this mission’s cancellation changes none of that. In fact, I’ve gained new friends, had new adventures and learned more about myself in the last three years because of dearMoon. Unfortunately, I can’t speak for everyone on the crew who all have different emotions, consequences and realities of this cancellation. For those who this affects the most, my heart goes out to them.
> The one thing I have a hard time reconciling is the timeline. Had I known this could have ended within a year and a half of it being publicly announced, I would’ve never agreed to it. We had no prior knowledge of this possibility. I voiced my opinions, even before the announcement, that it was improbable for dearMoon to happen in the next few years.
> I still firmly believe that, within my lifetime, we will see missions like this happen, and while I will never be the first to do such a mission, it brings me great joy to know the future is bright and exciting. And I’m proud to be able to continue to cheer those on who will do these exciting firsts! I’ll still be here to help explain rocket science to anyone who will listen to me babble on about spaceflight.
> In 2018 I started looking at the Moon and imagining artists going around it, then as the selection process narrowed, I allowed myself to imagine going around it. But unfortunately now every time I look at the Moon, it’s a painful reminder of dreams lost. But I will continue on as I always have, one giddy rocket nerd who’s here to witness history, absorb as much knowledge as I can, and break down what I learn for my fellow everyday person.
> I love you all, thank you for the ongoing support and encouragement at this time.
I realy don’t know what you are alluding to here. Care to expand on it?
Of course it is a good advice in general, but why did you felt the need to point this out specifically? (At the point I’m writing this the discussion appears to be civilised and generally following the guidelines, as best as I can tell.)
I see.
> just compare to the reddit posts on this subject
Oh i believe you. I would like to spare my own sanity. :)
> it's full of people mocking it and calling out people for being "deceived"
Oh. That is sad. If there is anyone this debacle reflects badly on that is SpaceX. And not because of the delays, that is entirely normal. But because i believe with better client communications they could have kept the dearmoon person in the loop. Either they haven’t set the right expectations with him initially, or they have lost his trust along the way. Which is not cool.
It also reflects badly on Yusaku Maezawa. He was either naive (if he thought there won’t be a delay), or fickle (if he understood that there might be a delay and had a change of heart). But ultimately his job is to get the finances and then sit in a can. So it reflects badly on him much much less, maybe none at all.
On the other “astronauts” like Tim, i see no blame. I see how what happened must feel soul crushing. Even if they believed in the trip only a little bit they must feel as if they have been robbed of an opportunity. Trully sad. I hope they will find the way to handle this and be able to go forward with their projects.