Are journeys to the moon about to take flight? SpaceX has made a key announcement regarding its progress in space tourism.
"SpaceX has signed the world's first private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard our BFR launch vehicle," SpaceX said in a tweet on September 13, 2018.
When asked if the mystery passenger would be Musk, he tweeted a simple response: the Japanese flag.
On Monday night, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa was announced as the first moonshot passenger.
"I choose to go to the moon!" said the 42-year-old Maezawa, the founder of Japan's largest online fashion mall who is said to be worth almost $3 billion.
"I love the moon," Maezawa told ABC News' David Kerley following the announcement. "I like to do the things that never have been done before. So I want the challenge to go to the moon."
The upcoming moon voyage has been a long time coming. The flight was scheduled to take off before the end of 2018, but reports indicate it has been pushed back and will now use a 350-foot Big Falcon Rocket, or BFR, which is still under development.
The launch that will take Maezawa is now scheduled for 2023, and he won't be making the journey alone. According to SpaceX founder Elon Musk, he will be bringing "eight (brave) artists and cultural figures with him."
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