Japanese billionaire blasts off to space in Russian rocket for stay on ISS

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has blasted off into space for a 12-day stay on the International Space Station (ISS).

A Russian rocketship carrying three people launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin and video producer Yozo Hirano also on board.

Maezawa plans to carry out 100 tasks in space, including playing golf.

His trip to the ISS comes ahead of his much-publicised plan to visit to the Moon in 2023.

In a press conference before liftoff, the billionaire described his first trip as a “dream come true”.

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