SpaceX has announced it will send a paying customer on a head trip around the Moon on a new spacecraft and rocket it is developing .
In a very , very shortstatementyesterday , the ship’s company say they had “ signed the world ’s first private rider to fly around the Moon aboard our BFR launch vehicle – an important step toward enabling entree for everyday people who dream of traveling to space . ”
They added that they would uncover who this rider is on Monday , September 17 at 9 pm EST . There will be alive streamof the announcement – but otherwise little is known .
As mention in the tweet above , SpaceX said this launching would take place aboard their openhanded Falcon Rocket ( BFR ) . This is the new reusable projectile and spaceship they are developing that may one daytake citizenry to Mars , if CEO Elon Musk catch his way .
You might recollect , though , that SpaceX originally said they would taketwo space touristson a trip around the Moon in their Dragon fomite , launching on a Falcon Heavy rocket in 2018 . It ’s unclear if this new mission is replace that one .
The curt update did give us a novel glimpse of the BFR though . On Twitter Muskconfirmedthat this was a new variation of the BFR starship , with aTintinvibe that he said was intentional . We can also see the ship ’s fin and , zooming in , the window into the interior where the passengers – up to 100 on belated military mission , Musk tell – will sit around .
He also posted a cryptic emoji of a Japanese flag in response to rumor about who would be flying . This may suggest the passenger is going to be Japanese but again , that ’s unidentified at the minute . A female astronautwould be nicetoo , as only men have ever gone to the Moon .
SpaceX ultimately want to expend the BFR for most if not all of its space operations , supervene upon its existing Falcon fleet . The society has beenbusy developingthe BFR in secret , with Chief Executive Gwynne Shotwellsaying recentlythey would begin “ hop ” tests next year .
One could interrogate when this whole rocket will actually be ready to vanish though , withArs Technicasaying the fellowship is targeting a launch engagement of by 2024 at the latest . “ One potential particular date to direct publicly might be December , 2022 , ” they said . “ This would be the fiftieth anniversary of the last human mission to the Moon , Apollo 17 . ”
And SpaceX themselves alluded to this in their announcement . “ Only 24 world have been to the Moon in history , ” they said . “ No one has visited since the last Apollo mission in 1972 . ”
Some racy billionaire somewhere is belike very mad at the expectation of that . And on Monday , we ’ll find out who they are .
