Elon Musk Is Sending 2 Wealthy Individuals to the Moon Only 24 people have made the trip.
By Nina Zipkin
It's been 45 years since anyone has traveled to the moon. On Dec. 7, 1972, NASA launched its final moon mission, making Apollo 17 crew members Eugene A. Cernan, Harrison H. Schmitt and Ronald E. Evans the last three members of a very select club.
But if Elon Musk has his way, that will change soon.
The SpaceX CEO announced yesterday that the company had been tapped to send two private citizens on a trip around the moon in 2018, which would bring the grand total of lunar travelers to 26.
Related: Watch Elon Musk's View of the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Landing
Fly me to the moon ... Okhttps://t.co/6QT8m5SHwn
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 27, 2017
There is no word yet on who the intrepid explorers will be, but we're guessing that they have pretty deep pockets, as SpaceX noted that the mystery duo has "paid a significant deposit" to make the mission possible. More information will be revealed provided the individuals pass the rigorous fitness and health tests.
SpaceX isn't doing this alone. The mission is part of its ongoing partnership with NASA
Related: SpaceX Pushes Back Mars Mission Timeline
The company recently announced that it revised its Mars mission timeline, with the first robotic mission to the red planet on track to take place in 2020 rather than 2018. Earlier this month, SpaceX also conducted a successful launch and landing of its Falcon 9 rocket at Cape Canaveral and sent a supplies delivery to the International Space Station.
The lunar travelers will be sent into space with the company's Falcon Heavy rocket, which will have its first test flight this summer. Meanwhile, SpaceX will also test the spacecraft that it hopes will carry astronauts to the ISS in 2018 later this year.
