Flying private passengers around the moon

Yusaku Maezawa & Elon Musk

Yusaku Maezawa, a rich Japanese billionaire paid SpaceX an unenclosed huge sum of money to take himself and several others on a trip around the Moon.

The money for the trip is going towards the cost of building a huge new reusable spaceship (called ‘Starship‘) which can then be used for future missions.  Once the spaceship has been thoroughly tested and flown an uncrewed test fight, it will then take the passengers on the 6 day trip around the Moon which is planned for 2023.

The last visit to the moon was in 1972 on the Apollo 17 mission. Only 24 people have visited the moon so far.

SpaceX, lead by Elon Musk, have been very successful in launching satellites, sending cargo and crew to the International Space Station using it’s Falcon 9 rocket, but they’ve always had much bigger plans.  The new spaceship will be designed not only to take people to the Moon, but to any part of the solar system, from Mars to Pluto and re-land back on Earth.

Yusaku is yet to pick the other members to travel with him, but he wants them to be various talented artists such as a painter, musician, film director, fashion designer; people who will be inspired and will inspire others to follow.

SpaceX Moon mission presentation
SpaceX proposed new spaceship
Previous Apollo Missions
Mission Summary Launch Duration Pad Rocket
Apollo 1 Failed test flight 21-Feb-67 N/A LC 34 Saturn IB (AS-204)
Apollo 7 Successful test flight 11-Oct-68 10d 20h 09m LC 34 Saturn IB (AS-205)
Apollo 8 Successful Moon orbit 21-Dec-68 06d 03h 00m LC 39A Saturn V (AS-503)
Apollo 9 Successful test flight 3-Mar-69 10d 01h 00m LC 39A Saturn V (AS-504)
Apollo 10 Successful Moon orbit 18-May-69 08d 00h 03m LC 39B Saturn V (AS-505)
Apollo 11 Successful Moon landing 16-Jul-69 08d 03h 18m LC 39A Saturn V (AS-506)
Apollo 12 Successful Moon landing 14-Nov-69 10d 04h 36m LC 39A Saturn V (AS-507)
Apollo 13 Failed Moon landing 11-Apr-70 05d 22h 54m LC 39A Saturn V (AS-508)
Apollo 14 Successful Moon landing 31-Jan-71 09d 00h 01m LC 39A Saturn V (AS-509)
Apollo 15 Successful Moon landing 26-Jul-71 12d 07h 11m LC 39A Saturn V (AS-510)
Apollo 16 Successful Moon landing 16-Apr-72 11d 01h 51m LC 39A Saturn V (AS-511)
Apollo 17 Successful Moon landing 7-Dec-72 12d 13h 51m LC 39A Saturn V (AS-512)
Apollo 18 Cancelled Moon landing 1972
Apollo 19 Cancelled Moon landing 1972
Apollo 20 Cancelled Moon landing 1972

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