Skip to Content
Space

SpaceX’s first lunar tourist didn’t just buy a seat on the rocket. He bought the whole flight.

September 18, 2018

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.

Deep Dive

Space

The search for extraterrestrial life is targeting Jupiter’s icy moon Europa

NASA’s Europa Clipper mission will travel to one of Jupiter's largest moons to look for evidence of conditions that could support life.

How scientists are using quantum squeezing to push the limits of their sensors

Fuzziness may rule the quantum realm, but it can be manipulated to our advantage.

The first-ever mission to pull a dead rocket out of space has just begun

Astroscale’s ADRAS-J spacecraft will inspect a dead Japanese rocket in orbit—a major moment in space-junk removal.

Journey to the eclipse

125 years ago, MIT Technology Review documented a total solar eclipse; it’s happening again in 2024.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.