SpaceX to reveal identity of passenger on world’s first private trip around the moon
SpaceX said it will reveal the identity of person it chose as passenger on a first trip around the moon on Monday.
The hard-charging rocket firm, run by billionaire Elon Musk, announced the news from its official Twitter handle.
The flight on its Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) would be “an important step toward enabling access for everyday people who dream of travelling to space,” the aerospace company wrote on Twitter.
“Only 24 humans have been to the Moon in history. No one has visited since the last Apollo mission in 1972,” it added.
The company said more details would be made available on Monday.
Asked on Twitter, whether he would be the passenger, billionaire Musk posted an emoji of the Japanese flag.
He introduced the BFR, composed of a rocket and spaceship, in 2017, saying it was aimed at allowing people to colonide Mars and that the company wanted to land two cargo ships on the Red Planet in 2022.
The first ship carrying crews could arrive two years later, he said.
The company announced plans to send two private passengers around the Moon in February 2017, with take-off planned for this year.
However the passengers were never named and the flight has yet to materialise.
It was not clear if one of those passengers was the same as the one mentioned in the s statement.(dpa/NAN)