The Traveller's Magazine
Space tourism is becoming an increasingly hot topic, as many hope to travel into outer space and experience what lies beyond. Next year, that could become a reality for two private passengers – as SpaceX plans to fly them to the moon!
The two private passengers approached SpaceX, the American aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company founded by Elon Musk in 2002, about a week long journey to the moon and back. Securing the deal, they have already paid a deposit on the trip which is set to take place next year on the Dragon Spacecraft.
Health and fitness tests will be conducted to ensure the passengers are fit for space travel, before initial training begins later in 2017. The two may not be the only ones to fly into outer space – SpaceX confirmed in a statement on their website that others have also shown interest in the mission.
In the same statement, SpaceX wrote that “Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration”. The company hopes one day to be able to travel as far as Mars.
In operating the trip, SpaceX is working in cooperation with NASA – which operated the last missions to the moon 45 years ago.
