SpaceX to fly two tourists around moon next year

After a while ago Musk announced this mission on social media, the two approached his company and said they want in.

SpaceX’s moon mission would its first foray into the nascent space tourism industry, which Musk hopes to expand and disrupt in the same way that his reusable rockets have already undercut prices in the commercial satellite industry.

Lift-off will be from Kennedy Space Center’s historic Pad 39A near Cape Canaveral, which is the same launch pad used by the Apollo program for its lunar missions, according to SpaceX.

Most importantly, we would like to thank NASA, without whom this would not be possible.

The spacecraft’s route would take it around the moon, gliding above its surface, and then journey up to 400,000 miles into deep space, before returning to earth. The Falcon Heavy hasn’t yet flown, but SpaceX says that when it does, it will pack two-thirds the thrust of a Saturn V moon rocket and offers more than double the thrust of the next largest launch vehicle now flying.

The company, founded by Tesla chief executive and former PayPal entrepreneur Elon Musk, revealed its plans during a press conference on Tuesday morning.

The capsule and its passengers will be launched on a so-called “free return” trajectory, sailing out into deep space beyond the moon before looping back for a direct return to Earth. Health and fitness tests and initial training will begin later this year. Should the SpaceX mission occur as planned, the two paying customers will be the first humans to travel beyond low-Earth orbit since the end of the Apollo program. If all goes to plan, the pair will become the first people to complete such a trip in over 40 years.

The company already works with Nasa, taking supplies to the International Space Station. “SpaceX has some really important short-term goals this year, like increasing launch tempo, human rating both the Falcon 9 and Dragon, and getting the Falcon Heavy operational”. It the only one at this time for the International Space Station.

Space tourists cum 2 private citizens named will go to outer space aboard the Crew Dragon Capsule.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 is moved to the launch pad prior to the rocket’s Thales Alenia Space launch attempt.

“This first demonstration mission will be in automatic mode, without people on board”.