Elon Musk's SpaceX has announced that billionaire Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa will become the aerospace company’s first private passenger on a voyage around the moon.
A former drummer in a punk band, Maezawa is planning to make his moon flight in 2023 aboard SpaceX’s forthcoming Big Falcon Rocket spaceship, taking the race to commercialize space travel to new heights.
Musk, who is also owner of Tesla Company for electric cars, maintained a sort of suspense among those who waited to know the name of the person who will visit the moon in the first commercial trip, by leaving many questions unanswered.
Musk shared Tuesday a photo for the Japanese flag on Twitter, than wrote many tweets featuring new designs for the Big Falcon Rocket – BFR on Sunday.
SpaceX's founder has promised the craft will transport the passenger to the moon, and then will eventually transport humans and trucks to Mars.
In spite that the craft is not manufactured yet, Musk has previously said he wants the rocket to be ready for an unmanned trip to Mars in 2022, with a crewed flight in 2024.
SpaceX plans for a trip around the moon.
The amount Maezawa is paying for the trip was not disclosed.
