Elon Musk

Can Space Tourism Save Elon Musk?

The volatile Tesla and SpaceX C.E.O. announced the name of his first space tourist. But the P.R. blitz may not be enough to keep his problems at bay.
Elon Musk with Yusaku Maezawa at the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne California.
Elon Musk with Yusaku Maezawa at the SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.By Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg/Getty Images.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa made his name as a drummer in a hardcore punk band, made his fortune in online fashion, and now wants to make history by becoming the first man to circle the moon, accompanied by a small entourage of artists and performers. On Monday, Maezawa appeared on the SpaceX factory floor next to Elon Musk to announce their lyrically titled mission, Dear Moon, which will not take place until 2023, at the earliest. Musk declined to disclose the exact amount Maezawa had forked over for the honor, but allowed that “a very significant deposit” had been made for a flight aboard SpaceX’s ambitious B.F.R. (“B” for big; “R” for rocket). Maezawa, it seems, is in it for the notoriety—according to The New York Times, he told Musk he’s willing to wait years for the rocket, as long as he’s the first “private person” to make it to the moon. “I want to contribute to society in a different way,” he told reporters, of the cadre of artists he hopes to bring along. “These artists will be asked to create something after they return to Earth, and these masterpieces will inspire the dreamer within all of us.”

While there seems to be a natural symbiosis between the two flamboyant entrepreneurs, for Musk, Monday’s press conference served a dual purpose: to deflect attention from the series of scandals plaguing his personal and professional life, which have shaken the confidence of Tesla investors. In the past several weeks, he has choked up in a Times interview, smoked pot on Joe Rogan’s podcast (“Weed is not helpful for productivity,” he told the Times. “There’s a reason for the word ‘stoned.’ You just sit there like a stone on weed”), and sparked an S.E.C. investigation by falsely tweeting that he had secured funding to take Tesla private. The deluge has not relented: on Monday afternoon, Vernon Unsworth, the cave diver who Musk repeatedly called a “pedo” and a “child rapist,” filed a lawsuit for defamation, seeking an injunction against Musk that would prohibit him from making similar comments. And on Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that the Department of Justice is likewise investigating Musk’s take-private tweet, a probe that could potentially result in criminal charges. (Tesla’s stock fell on the news.)

Concerns that Musk’s antics might negatively impact his business dealings were seemingly confirmed by an announcement, shortly after Unsworth filed his suit, that electric-vehicle start-up Lucid will receive more than $1 billion from the Saudi Arabian government—the same fund that Musk had claimed would finance Tesla’s privatization. And as Tesla battles losses and kinks in its production line, rumors of the company’s quest to add to its executive branch have continued to swirl. In the past, Musk’s penchant for dazzling showmanship has been enough to soothe concerned parties, reassuring them that the billionaire C.E.O. still has his edge. But though he tried to recapture some of the old magic on Monday—“This is a dangerous mission,” he said cinematically, “definitely dangerous”—it may not be enough to stave off his long, long list of woes.

At the very least, though, it may have given the beleaguered Musk a spiritual boost. After weathering months of self-inflicted controversy, Maezawa’s investment, he told reporters, had “done a lot to restore my faith in humanity.”