Destination Moon: SpaceX Is Sending 2 Passengers To The Moon In First-Of-Its-Kind “Space Tourism”

It’s been decades since the last time a human-made a trip to our closest celestial buddy, the Moon. While the reasons behind not going back there all these years are largely socio-political in nature and hence, beyond the ambit of this article, we are just as glad as anybody else out there that the stagnant status quo is about to undergo a revolutionary change — possibly forever.

SpaceX, the California, U.S.-based space transport services company, has announced that it is beginning a new era of commercial space tourism by sending two individuals on a trip to the Moon. The mission, announced the company, will take place next year, i.e. in 2018.

The company did not disclose the identity of the two individuals who will be part of this landmark mission.

“We are excited to announce that SpaceX has been approached to fly two private citizens on a trip around the moon late next year,” SpaceX said in a statement Monday. “They have already paid a significant deposit to do a moon mission.”

“Like the Apollo astronauts before them,” the statement continues, “these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration. We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year. Other flight teams have also expressed strong interest and we expect more to follow. Additional information will be released about the flight teams, contingent upon their approval and confirmation of the health and fitness test results.”

Fly me to the moon … Okhttps://t.co/6QT8m5SHwn

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 27, 2017

SpaceX is led by founder and CEO Elon Musk, who has over the years developed a cult following across the world for his farsightedness, as well as what many regards as a genuine effort to make the best use of science and technology to turn the world into a better place.

The company thanked NASA for all its support and encouragement without which overcoming the challenges associated with private space travel would probably be a lot more difficult. It is generally believed that private space travels will be beneficial for both government and private missions in the long run.