In December 2022, it was reported that K-Pop singer T.O.P would join seven other influential people in a project called “Dear Moon.”
T.O.P | @choi_seung_hyun_tttop/Instagram
Spearheaded by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezwa and the SpaceX program of Elon Musk, the project’s aim was to take eight influential and talented people on a week-long journey around the moon in SpaceX’s Starship transportation system.
The mission was tentatively scheduled to take place by the end of 2023. But last month, it was reported that the lunar mission had been pushed back. Though a professor of space exploration at Kyugnhee University mentioned the delay in his official statement to media outlets, he didn’t offer any clear reasons.
The participants of the “Dear Moon” project
On November 9, T.O.P posted an official update on his Instagram, confirming the reports about “Dear Moon” being postponed. The announcement said that the launch would not be possible this year “due to the ongoing development of Starship.”
The vehicle’s first flight test in April 2023 provided numerous lessons learned that are directly contributing to upgrades being made to improve the probability of success on future Starship flights.
— dearMoon
The project’s updated timeline, the announcement mentioned, would be decided by the upcoming second integrated flight test of the space vehicle.
T.O.P also shared multiple Instagram stories surrounding the project on this day, one of which mentioned that this second flight test concern could “launch as soon as mid-November,” showing his optimism despite the delay.
In another story, he shared a screengrab of a news article about Starship’s next flight test, with a caption that said, “The best is yet to come.”
While it looks like the singer will have to wait some more for his much-anticipated space trip, these updates have clarified that whenever it happens, his participation in the journey is guaranteed.
