Satoshi Takamatsu announces his project to stay at the International Space Station for 30 days at a news conference in Tokyo on Feb. 8. (Kazushige Kobayashi. Images provided by WE)

Photo/Illutration Satoshi Takamatsu talks about his plan to stay at the International Space Station at a news conference in Tokyo on Feb. 8. (Kazushige Kobayashi)

Satoshi Takamatsu, a former employee of Dentsu Inc., announced at a Tokyo news conference on Feb. 8 that he has booked a trip to space with a private company and plans to stay at the International Space Station for 30 days.

Takamatsu, 60, is a former advertising creator and now a photographer and artist. He hopes to capture ultra-high quality photos and videos of the Earth and space, so that the experience can be widely shared.

“By bringing the experience of seeing the Earth from space to the rest of the world, I believe that something new and different will happen,” he said.

In 2015, Takamatsu underwent eight months of cosmonaut training in Russia as a backup crew member for British singer Sarah Brightman’s planned trip into space. However, he was unable to fly after Brightman withdrew during the training process.

This time, he has signed a contract with a U.S. company, Axiom Space Inc., to reserve a seat on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft that will take him to the ISS.

Although Takamatsu did not disclose the cost of this contract, he said that in the past when civilians have traveled to and from the ISS, they have paid around $65 million (approximately 10 billion yen) for a 10-day stay.

“A 30-day stay would cost more than that,” he noted.

If the flight is realized, it will be the longest stay on the ISS by a civilian.

He said he made a deposit in January, and if he can raise the rest of the money by the end of this year, he could begin training next year and perhaps fly as early as the end of next year.

“I mortgaged my house and the land it’s on, and gave up my 6,000-cc supercar. If I can’t raise the money, I won’t get my down payment back, so it will be a loss instead of zero. I’m 60 years old now, so I’m going to train myself to withstand 8 Gs,” he said.

While on the ISS, Takamatsu plans to build a 24K long-format camera, combining six 8K cameras, with the cooperation of manufacturers, to take exceptional photos and videos on the station to share with the world.

He indicated that he intends to solicit donations from companies, foundations, and individuals who are interested in the environment and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Related News