SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced that the first private passenger to fly on a trip around the moon will be Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa.Maezawa said he wants to bring six to eight artists with him on the Hawthorne-based company's Big Falcon Rocket. This lunar mission - a flyby, not a landing - represents "an important step toward enabling access for everyday people who dream of traveling to space," SpaceX said in a tweet.On its website, SpaceX is touting the "first passenger on lunar BFR mission," implying there will be more.This could be humanity's first lunar visit since 1972, depending on how NASA's latest moon plans shape up. “In 2023, as the host, I would like to invite six to eight artists from around the world to join me on this mission to the moon.”

CNBC said that Maezawa had been teasing his Twitter followers about the trip last month. HAWTHORNE, Calif. — A Japanese billionaire who wants to take his love of art to the heavens will be the first private passenger to fly around the moon, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday. Maezawa wouldn't reveal the cost for the tickets, but said he has already put down a deposit that Musk then described as "a non-trivial amount." I think it's pretty likely, but it's not certain," he said.Both men know it could be a dangerous journey. Maezawa has chartered a flight aboard the company's Big Falcon Rocket, which is still being developed, for a slingshot trip around the Moon as soon as 2023.
SpaceX announces that Japanese billionaire and art collector Yusaku Maezawa will be the first commercial passenger to orbit the Moon on their BFR rocket in 2023.