The innovation man has set to add another feather in his cap by sending two tourists on the moon through SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule.
“We are excited to announce that SpaceX has been approached to fly two private citizens on a trip around the moon late next year,” said a statement by CEO Elon Musk.
This has come as the opportunity for humans to return to deep space programs and it would be a first since the famous Apollo missions of the 1950s and 60s.
The tourists, who were not named, “have already paid a significant deposit,” Musk’s statement added.
Health tests and training are to begin this year.
“Other flight teams have also expressed strong interest, and we expect more to follow. Additional information will be released about the flight teams, contingent upon their approval and confirmation of the health and fitness test results,” Musk said.
The capsule will launch on the top of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, which is scheduled for its first test flight this summer.
The rocket “will be the most powerful vehicle to reach orbit after the Saturn V moon rocket,” Musk said.
If all goes as planned, the lift off for the two tourists will take place from the same launch pad near Cape Canaveral that the Apollo program used for its lunar missions.
