SpaceX announces 2018 moon mission

SpaceX has just announced they have two paying customers who have booked a mission to orbit the moon in late 2018.

http://www.spacex.com/news/2017/02/...rewed-dragon-spacecraft-beyond-moon-next-year

I'm sure it will slip in 2019, but if they make the target this will be a great way to recognize the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8.

Wonder how much that cost them!

Trip of a lifetime though, not even sure I could assign a dollar amount to it.

Some years back, the Russians were offering such a trip for $120 million a seat.

Be cool if they can do it. Love to have them flip off moon landing denialists from the surface of the moon.

Eh, close enough for our needs.

I've seen speculation that James Cameron could be one of the passengers, which would be absolutely perfect for driving moon conspiracy nuts insisting it's all faked.

SpaceX isn't sending a driver/guide with them. The trip would be automated. They would have to be trained on emergency procedures and in good health.

Apollo was 4 stages. 1st and 2nd stage boosters used up to orbit. 3rd stage to exit earth's orbit. It also carried the lunar module (LEM). 4th stage was the service module attached to the command Apollo capsule. The service module had its own engine for insertion into and exiting the Moon's orbit back to earth.

Falcon Heavy is a two stage rocket and Dragon. My guess is the 2nd stage will be used there and back. No lifeboat either (as Apollo 13 used their LEM when the service module exploded on the way).

Very interesting... Not sure I'd want to take the trip even if I could afford it.

I'm all for it, but have to point out that SpaceX hasn't demonstrated all of the required technologies yet and 2018 ain't that far away.

It's a lot. I'm working awful amounts of overtime to make the payments.

Man I so wish I was one of those passengers.

Emergency procedures:

#1 Kiss your ass goodbye.

#2 Die.

I sure would! Only what five or six days total? Much better than these cruises my wife keeps wanting to drag me on.

This thread has aged well.

Musk time rarely does.

In this case though while the date would have no doubt slipped, this trip was cancelled after they decided against man rating the Falcon Heavy and the customer is the same one paying for the Dear Moon mission.