Get All Access for $5/mo

The World's First Space Tourist Is Heading Back for a Trip Around the Moon And This Time He's Bringing His Wife Dennis Tito first visited the International Space Station in 2001.

By Sam Silverman

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Photo by Newsmakers via Getty Images

The first person to ever pay their way to space is headed back for another trip amongst the stars.

Dennis Tito, 82, first traveled to the International Space Station in 2001 with the Russian Space Agency's Space Adventures, which was based in the U.S., and sent a couple of wealthy individuals to the great beyond.

However, his time in the sky back then was only 10-minutes long. This time, he'll be traveling around the moon for a week, according to a SpaceX update.

Tito's wife, Akiko, will also be joining him on his journey along with 10 other paying customers. Although the millionaire, who's in retirement after selling his investment company Wilshire Associates, hasn't disclosed how much he is paying for the experience, his prior trip cost $20 million.

"We're retired and now it's time to reap the rewards of all the hard work," he said of his pricey trip in an interview with the Associated Press. As for his love for space, he added, "This was a long pursuit dream of mine that began in 1958 when I started to study aeronautics and astronautics."

However, a date of take-off has yet to be determined as SpaceX's Starship is still in development but it could be within the next five years. Depending on his health, Tito said he's ready for take-off whenever they are.

"We have to keep healthy for as many years as it's going to take for SpaceX to complete this vehicle," Tito said. "I might be sitting in a rocking chair, not doing any good exercise if it wasn't for this mission."

He continued, "If I can show that a man over 80 years of age can accomplish this hopefully that will inspire people of any age … that this is possible."

Tito's trip would mark one of the longest periods spent in space by a non-astronaut. Previously SpaceX sent three businessmen who paid $50 million each on a 10-day excursion where they conducted experiments, per NPR. The majority of recent space travel from space tourism companies has been only a few minutes long, including Blue Origin's first 10-minute flight.

Sam Silverman

Content Strategy Editor

Sam Silverman is a content strategy editor at Entrepreneur Media. She specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), and her work can be found in The US Sun, Nicki Swift, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style and Health. She writes for our news team with a focus on investigating scandals. Her coverage and expertise span from business news, entrepreneurship, technology, and true crime, to the latest in entertainment and TV news. Sam is a graduate of Lehigh University and currently resides in NYC. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

At Age 15, He Used Facebook Marketplace to Start a Side Hustle — Then It Became Something Much Bigger: 'Raised Over $1.6 Million'

Dylan Zajac, now a 21-year-old senior at Babson College, wanted to bridge the digital divide.

Side Hustle

'I Just Hustled': She Earned More Than $300,000 Wrapping Gifts Last Year — and It All Started With a Side Hustle

When Michelle Hensley lost her husband to cancer, she needed to figure out how to earn an income for her family.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Franchise

McDonald's Announces the Return of the Snack Wrap in 2025 — Here's What to Expect From Its Comeback

The decision comes after years of persistent customer demand for the portable snack, which debuted nearly two decades ago.

Business News

OpenAI Just Released Its Text-to-Video Generator, Sora. Here's How the New AI Could Impact Small Businesses and Creators.

Sora has a variety of use cases for businesses, from social media campaigns to video creation.

Innovation

These Entrepreneurs Created a League That Turns Gamers Into Pro Race Car Drivers: 'We're Giving Drivers a Sustainable Career Path'

Racing Prodigy's innovative E2Real sports league is lowering the high-cost barrier to entry for drivers to take their passion to the track.