Moscow, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa rocketed to space in a Russian-built Soyuz capsule on Wednesday morning.
A Russian rocket carrying Maezawa, producer Yozo Hirano, who plans to film his mission along with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin took off for the International Space Station (ISS).
The rocket took off from Russia's Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 2:38 am ET Wednesday, and it's slated to dock with the ISS around 8:41 am ET.
He is expected to spend 12 days at the ISS, and is the first space tourist to visit the station in recent years.
"I'm so curious 'what's life like in space'? So, I am planning to find out on my own and share with the world on my YouTube channel," Maezawa said in a recent statement.
According to reports, Maezawa underwent a rigorous training programme ahead of the launch, which included sleeping on an inclined bed, being spun around in a chair and playing long periods of badminton - all of which he has documented on social media.
During a pre-flight news conference on Tuesday, Maezawa said: I would like to look at the Earth from space. I would like to experience the opportunity to feel weightlessness…and I also have a personal expectation: I’m curious how space will change me, how I will change after this space flight.
Maezawa made his fortune in retail fashion with Zozotown in 2004, and became a billionaire by the time he was in his mid-30s. Forbes magazine lists him as Japan's 30th richest man, with an estimated personal wealth of $2 billion.