SpaceX Lunar Tourism Mission
| Mission type | Manned Lunar Flyby |
|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Dragon 2 |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | Late 2018 (planned) |
| Rocket | Falcon Heavy |
| Launch site | Pad 39A |
The SpaceX Lunar Tourism Mission will be a private mission to fly two space tourists around the moon aboard SpaceX's Dragon 2 spacecraft. SpaceX aims for a launch sometime late 2018, after the Dragon 2 is tested and flown under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The Space X Lunar Tourism Mission (as called because of a lack of an official name) could fall around the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 flight, which flew astronauts around the moon for the first time, as part of the Apollo program. The announcement for this mission was made February 27, 2017.
A Falcon Heavy will be used to put the Dragon 2 in a weeklong cruise around the moon. SpaceX has planned the launch from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. The Dragon 2 will go on an automated cruise around the moon, although the crew will be trained for emergencies.
SpaceX hasn't disclosed the names of the crew that will fly on the mission. They did, however, say that two private citizens have paid a "significant deposit." Although SpaceX hasn't shared how much the tourists will pay, Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, did reveal that the cost will be "comparable" to the cost of a crewed mission to the International Space Station.
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