Indian television actor Dev Joshi is part of the eight-member crew headed for a trip around the moon in Space X's Starship spacecraft. This is the first time that civilian passengers will orbit the moon on a week-long trip to space. They will not land on moon but return to Earth after the flyby.
Dev, the youngest member on the crew, will join K-pop rapper TP, American filmmaker Brendan Hall, YouTuber Tim Dodd, DJ Steve Aoki, choreographer and dancer Yemi A.D, photographers Rhiannon Adam and Kraim Iliya on the dearMoon project.
They will be joined by their spacecraft commander, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezama, who conceived and spearheads the unique lunar tourism mission. There's also a backup crew—comprising Olympic snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington and Japanese dancer Miyu.
Dev, now 22, is best known for portraying the role of Baal Veer in Sony Sab's fantasy children's series Baal Veer. He has also appeared in a string of Gujarati films and other Hindi TV shows. In 2019, he was conferred the Bal Shakti Puraskar, India's highest civilian honour below the age of 18, by former President Ramnath Kovind.
In a recent interview, Dev revealed he has always been interested in space and learning about the universe. In 2021, he came across Yusaku Maezama's call inviting artists to join the dearMoon project and applied online.
"The process of selection was really long," Dev told ETimes. "I had to go through physical tests, meetings and interviews, where they wanted to know about me and if I am fit to go to the moon. I also got to meet Yusaku Maezawa. There were around 10 lakh applications from all over the world and there were many rounds before the eight names were finalised."
Maezawa vetted applicants from 249 countries and selected eight, Dev included. "I always dreamt of this and now I’m actually going to the moon. I am extremely happy and excited," the actor said. On Tuesday, Dev posted pictures from a flight, writing, “Live by the sun, love by the #dearMoon.” The Space X Starship is scheduled for liftoff in 2023.