SpaceX’s first lunar tourist didn’t just buy a seat on the rocket. He bought the whole flight.
The company revealed that Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa will be its first paying passenger—if the trip ever happens, that is.
The news: The founder of online retailer Zozo is slated to take his trip to the moon in 2023 aboard the yet-to-be-built Big Falcon Rocket (aka the BFR, or Big F*****g Rocket). But Maezawa didn’t just buy one seat on the flight; he bought them all. His intends to bring six to eight artists along for the ride. “I choose to go to the moon, with artists,” he said at the SpaceX press conference.
How it'll work: While how much Maezawa paid hasn’t yet been divulged, his payment will contribute to the tens of billions of dollars required to get the BFR off the ground.
But … Don’t forget, CEO Elon Musk has promised us moon tourists before. While they were never named, two people apparently paid deposits for trips to the moon aboard the Falcon Heavy rocket by the end of this year. Those plans were scrapped in favor of waiting to put tourists aboard the BFR, so don’t hold your breath for an on-time departure this time around either.
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