SpaceX says it has signed the first private moon traveler, and the company plans to identify the passenger and timing of the mission Monday at its Hawthorne, California, headquarters.
The announcement marks a shift from the mission SpaceX outlined last year, when founder Elon Musk said two paying customers had approached the company about a weeklong flight around the moon and had placed a significant deposit. That earlier concept called for a Falcon Heavy rocket and a Dragon crew capsule to carry two passengers around the moon this year.
First private moon traveler to fly on new rocket
Under the updated approach, SpaceX still aims to conduct a lunar flyby, not a landing, but now plans to use a larger rocket under development that includes its own dedicated passenger ship. The company indicated there will be a single person aboard this flight.
The vehicle, often referred to as BFR, has not yet been built. Given the development timeline, the mission is presumed to be at least a few years away.
SpaceX teased the news on Twitter late Thursday, and Musk amplified it with his own tweet. Company representatives declined to share further details on Friday.
Musk has said his long-term goal is establishing human presence on Mars. In a tweet, SpaceX called the lunar flyby an important step toward enabling access to space for everyday people who dream of traveling beyond Earth.
The company’s website also references the first passenger on a lunar BFR mission, suggesting more trips could follow.
If completed, the flight would mark humanity’s first return to the moon’s vicinity since 1972. From 1968 to 1972, 24 NASA astronauts traveled to the moon and 12 walked on its surface.
Next July will be the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s first crewed lunar landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin.
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