Paying A High Price To Fly To The ISS, Miliader Maezawa: It's A Little Expensive But How Worth It

JAKARTA - There are no details on how much fashion billionaire from Japan, Yusaku Maezawa, paid for a private trip to explore space. But for him, it was nothing compared to the experience gained.

Speaking to The Associated Press as quoted by The Washington Times, Maezawa refused if it was considered excessive by his decision to pay dearly for a trip to the International Space Station.

Before flying out of the earth, Maezawa admitted that he had already imagined what missions he would undertake later. But everything is beyond what is imagined when it is on the way to space.

"Once you're in space, you realize how valuable this incredible experience is," he said in a first TV interview since he made it to the station.

"And I believe that this extraordinary experience will lead to something else." he continued again as seen on Tuesday, December 14th.

Maezawa deflected criticism from those who questioned his decision to spend money on space travel. The question is why not use it to help people on Earth.

"Those who criticize are probably those who have never been to space," he said.

The cost of the trip to space is not clearly stated, because the price tag is kept secret by the Russian side. But previous customers have reportedly paid between $20 million and $40 million for flights to the ISS.

But chances are that the price won't drop much given that Maezawa himself has a net worth of $1.9 billion which is estimated to have been amassed by Maezawa through his company Zozo, formerly known as Start Today, which operates Japan's largest online fashion mall, ZOZOTOWN.

Despite being the country's 30th richest person, the 46-year-old businessman is far from the traditional image of a calm Japanese businessman.

"The most memorable moment was when I saw the International Space Station from Soyuz before docking and when we got in after docking," he said.

"Yes, it's still a bit expensive, but it's not just about money," he said.

“It takes time for your body to adjust to this environment and training for an emergency takes at least a few months. So, frankly, it is only accessible to those who have the time and are physically fit and those who can afford it. But we don't know if it's still going to happen in 10 years, or another 20 years" he said.