Here’s how you can help one Victoria man fly to the moon

A Victoria man is vying for a chance to be on the first of eight on a civilian flight to the moon.

Japanese billionaire and fashion designer Yusaku Maezawa is offering a free trip to fly the lunar orbit in collaboration with Elon Musk and SpaceX.

Maezawa launched the ‘dearMoon’ mission on Tuesday with the hopes of bringing eight people, with a focus on artists, that must fulfill a criteria of two things.

Brett Andersen, a restaurant manager in Victoria, said he fulfills the criteria.

In a video posted to his Instagram, Andersen details the criteria which Maezawa will choose the recipients, and why he fits the bill.

“The first criteria is to push the envelope of whatever it is I love to do […], the second one is to support the rest of the crew on their aspirations while we go on this adventure,” said Andersen in his video below:

Andersen is an adventure photographer and videographer and has been in the hospitality industry for over 15 years.

But this isn’t the first time Andersen has tried going into orbit.

In 2015, Andersen made it through a global contest that would have seen him board the first civilian flight on Sir Richard Bransen’s Virgin Galactic.

The shuttle he was supposed to board ended up crashing.

This is his second chance, even if the circumstances are different.

“For Branson, I submitted a minute video which won both nationally and globally – that’s how I stood out. But for this, it’s just a basic application and raffle,” said Andersen.

The video Andersen posted is a way to put him on Maezawa’s radar.

“The more people who watch it, the more people can ‘like’ it and tag Yusaku,” said Andersen.

A trip like this is once in a lifetime, and it’s rare for someone to have gotten one chance, let alone the possibility of a second.

For Andersen, the adventure once again aligns with his core values of freedom and adventure, and it’s a way for him to reawaken the wanderlust that’s been more dormant since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“When it comes to space, there’s something so special about looking down on earth. I’m so used to looking up to clear my head and mind that to be able to look down would be a dream,” said Andersen.

“[The trip] it’s like a cheat code to enlightenment.”

Here’s how to help Anderson

• Follow Brett Anderson @brettandersen
  
• Share and ‘like‘ his video and tag Yusaku Maezawa @yusaku2020 when you do