World's space tourism pioneer Dennis Tito will return to space aboard SpaceX's Starship, according to CNET.
The 82-year-old American businessman and his wife, Akiko, are set to launch on the spacecraft's second commercial flight around the moon after buying two seats on a SpaceX mission.
Tito and his wife will fly to the moon and back on what was said to be a week-long mission.
Tito Bought Two Seats Aboard Starship
In 2001, Tito became famous as the first private space tourist to visit the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Russia's Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft.
"Dennis Tito was world's first commercial astronaut to visit the International Space Station. He will now be among the first to fly on Starship," SpaceX announced on October 12.
A tweet from SpaceX official Twitter account said that Tito and his wife are the first crew members announced by the company to be part of Starship's second commercial spaceflight around the moon.
"The Titos joined the mission to contribute to SpaceX's long-term goal to advance human spaceflight and help make life multiplanetary," SpaceX said a statement.
Tito said during a press conference on Wednesday that since his first trip to space, he had always wanted to go to the moon.
Meanwhile, Tito's wife, Akiko, who is currently 57-year-old, is a real estate investor and pilot. She married Tito in 2020. The two of them are expected to be the first married couple to take a voyage around the moon.
Tito and his wife only purchased two seats of the flight, which means the space trip to the moon remains open for another 10 passengers.
There are two private Starship flights previously announced. The first one was bought by billionaire Jared Isaacman, while the second one was purchased by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, according to CNBC.
Meanwhile, there are no information regarding the costs of the seats as Tito refused to comment regarding it.
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Tito is Still Waiting for Starship's Launch Date
While there is no launch date yet for the Titos' flight to the moon, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced last month that Starship will launch for the first time in late October or November.
The Titos are expected to have a weeklong journey aboard Starship flying within 124 miles (200 km) of the moon's surface.
"This mission is really groundbreaking in that it puts us on a very firm step towards airline-like operations, where now, for the first time, you can buy an individual seat to the moon," said Aarti Matthews, SpaceX's director of Starship crew and cargo programs.
According to Tito, he understands that his trip around the moon will have to take some time. He added that perhaps Starship will already have hundreds of flights before he and his wife could have theirs. However, he remains enthusiastic for SpaceX long term goals.
In 2023, we can expect that the first commercial flight around the moon will finally happen. It will be the one financed by Maezawa. The Japanese billionaire and a crew of eight artists and entertainers are set fly into space aboard Starship.
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