Japanese billionaire Maezawa blasts off to International Space Station

Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa reacts as he speaks with his family after donning space suits shortly before the launch to the International Space Station (ISS) at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, December 8, 2021. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (Reuters) - Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa blasted off to the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday in his first space flight, a voyage he sees as a dry-run for his planned trip around the moon with Elon Musk's SpaceX in 2023.

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying the 46-year-old fashion magnate and art collector successfully launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and will reach the ISS in about six hours, Russian space agency Roscosmos said.