7 October, 2018
Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX has announced the first private passenger it plans to fly around the Moon. 42-year-old Japanese billionaire, Yusaku Maezawa, will be the first ‘Moon Tourist’.
The mission is planned for 2023, and would be the first lunar journey by humans since 1972. But the rocket meant to take him to the moon still has not been built yet, and Musk cautioned: “It’s not 100% certain we can bring this to flight.”
Only 24 humans have visited the Moon – all of them Americans; 12 of them landed on the moon. Nasa’s Apollo 17 in December 1972 marked the last time humans landed on the moon, or went beyond low Earth orbit. Curiously Maezawa will not be allowed to land on the moon.