Two alien tourists landed safely on Earth after 12 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Those two were billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa from Japan and video producer Yozo Hirano. Together with senior cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin, they returned home in a Russian Soyuz vehicle.
The trio left the International Space Station at 18:50. On Sunday, December 19, it landed in Kazakhstan at around 10:10 PM ET in over three hours.
Maezawa shared tweets after landing
Shortly after landing, a live broadcast showed Maezawa smiling as he exited the spacecraft with two passengers. Maezawa, who made his fortune with online fashion retail, has posted multiple tweets showcasing some of his experiences during his space adventure. Content included everything from a time-lapse shot of Earth orbit to an instructional video about space toilets.
ISS hosted two Russian filmmakers
Maezawa’s mission, covering a total of 4.6 million miles and 189 earth orbits, was the first personal pay trip to the ISS since 2009. The actual cost of the trip has not been clarified, although Maezawa hinted at it. Still, it was stated that $80 million was spent.
In October, ISS hosted two Russian filmmakers for a short stay. This trip was funded by several media companies in a deal with the Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Recent tourism trips have revealed a renewed effort by space agencies to commercialize the ISS to raise funds for further exploration and research in space. A NASA mission by space tourism company Axiom early next year will use SpaceX hardware to transport three tourists to the space station for a 10-day stay.
What do you think about the two tourists reaching the ISS? Don’t forget to mention your ideas in the comments section!