SpaceX to Send Two Tourists Around the Moon in 2018

The latest ambitious announcement to come from SpaceX is that it plans to send two private citizens in orbit around the moon before the end of next year. The aspiring lunar tourists have already put down a “significant” deposit, according to Engadget, and plan to undergo training and a battery of fitness tests in the coming months to prepare for their historic trip.

While SpaceX does not intend to attempt a moon landing, the expedition would mark the first time in over forty years that humans have gone that far into deep space. The voyage itself is expected to take around one week aboard one of SpaceX’s Dragon 2 capsules. The spacecraft will be automated, according to The New York Times, although the passengers will be trained to deal with emergencies.

Still, there is plenty of reason to be skeptical about the ambitious timeframe. Elon Musk’s private space company already has a full slate for next year, not to mention its stated intention to colonize Mars in 2020. The moon mission is due to take place after SpaceX launches its four scheduled missions to the International Space Station– the first of which is expected to occur in Q2 of 2018.

“Dates are not SpaceX’s strong suit,” Mary Lynne Dittmar, executive director Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, said to The New York Times. Furthermore, SpaceX’s track record has been marred by two major disasters in which the company’s Falcon 9 rockets exploded, taking expensive NASA payloads down with them.

“It strikes me as risky,” Dr. Dittmar said. “I find it extraordinary that these sorts of announcements are being made when SpaceX has yet to get crew from the ground to low-Earth orbit.”

If the mission succeeds, however, it could pave the way for future lunar tourism and secure further NASA funding for SpaceX.

Featured Image: SpaceFlight Insider