Japanese Billionaut Maezawa Begins Training in Russia for Flight to ISS

STAR CITY, Russia, June 15, 2021 (Roscosmos PR) — At the Yu.A. Gagarin, on June 15, 2021, the participants of the visiting expedition’s space flight were presented to the management and staff of the Center.

By the decision of the interdepartmental commission for the selection of cosmonauts for the VC-20 crews as space flight participants, the main crew were appointed:

• Yusaku Maezawa, president of Start Today Corporation, businessman.
• Yozo Hirano, producer, personal assistant to Maezawa Yusaku.
• Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin became the commander of the prime crew.
• Back-up crew commander – Alexander Skvortsov.
• Shun Ogiso, Public Relations Manager of Start Today Corporation, will also take part in the training.

Space flight participants will be trained over two training sessions. The first session began today and will last 4 weeks. During this period, space flight participants will study the systems of the manned Soyuz MS and the Russian segment of the International Space Station. The casting of the seats will also be carried out at the Research and Production Enterprise Zvezda. 

The second training session is scheduled from September 2021 until the start. During this period, classes in biomedical training, comprehensive training, survival in various climatic and geographical zones, fitting of spacesuits, and comprehensive examination training are provided.

“I would like to thank the Cosmonaut Training Center for the opportunity to gain a unique experience. I promise to make every effort to train in order to justify the confidence of our commander, ” Maezawa addressed those present in the hall.

Alexander Misurkin, in turn, noted that when meeting his Japanese colleagues, he felt a charge of energy and a certain focus on success in the upcoming mission.

The head of the coordination and planning service Denis Yadrentsev, who presented the participants in the space flight, assured that the CTC staff have tremendous experience in preparing expeditions to visit the International Space Station. The upcoming visiting expedition, scheduled to start in December, will be the 20th in a row.