The first space traveler is now on a different journey. This time, he is prepared to use Elon Musk’s Starship to orbit the Moon.
21 years ago, Dennis Tito, now 82, spent a brief stint aboard the International Space Station. The man will now travel to the moon for a week, passing by it only 200 kilometers away. The man will be accompanied by ten other individuals, including his wife Akiko, so he won’t be traveling alone.
Tito is aware that it will take some time for Starship to complete its testing and development before attempting this trip to the moon. If it weren’t for this trip, Tito told The Associated Press, “I might be sitting in a rocking chair, not doing any good exercise if it wasn’t for this mission” Tito didn’t say how much he was paying for the flight, but according to EuroNext, his trip to the ISS cost $20 million. His voyage to the ISS cost $20 million, which he is paying for out of pocket.
Tito highlighted that although he announced on Wednesday, he and his wife had already signed a contract with SpaceX in August 2021.
He has a five-year window to select a flight under the terms of his contract. Tito would be 87 years old by then, and he needed a way out in case his health deteriorated.
Tito, a former engineer who is currently employed as a financial analyst, made history in 2001 when he paid for a trip to space on Russia’s Soyuz TM-32 mission. The man spent more than eight days on board the ISS.
It appears that NASA, a US agency, did not want a visitor around while the station was being built. However, the Russian organization needed the cash, so it let the US-based Space Adventures fly a few wealthy clients into orbit.
Dennis Tito, the 82-year-old aerospace engineer-turned-financial analyst who paid Russia $20 million for a trip to the space station in 2001, is working with SpaceX on plans to take him and his wife on a flight around the moon aboard a SpaceX Starship pic.twitter.com/5zEMZdZgle
— William Harwood (@cbs_spacenews) October 12, 2022
