World's 1st space tourist planning to fly around moon
![Dennis Tito lands following his trip to the International Space Station in 2001.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RzoDZTmt9924uivxkKw8aF-415-80.jpg)
Dennis Tito became the first space tourist over two decades ago, and he now has his sights set on the stars once again — with a trip around the moon.
The 82-year-old is working with Elon Musk's SpaceX to plan a weeklong trip to the moon for himself and his wife, Akiko. In an interview with CBS News, Tito said that he hopes to blast off with his wife and 10 other daring participants for a journey that The Associated Press reports will bring them within 125 miles of the far side of the moon.
Tito first made headlines in 2001 when he paid Russia $20 million to let him ride on a trip to the International Space Station. Tito journeyed to the station aboard Soyuz TM-32, making him the first self-funded tourist in space.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
![https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516-320-80.jpg)
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I've been thinking about flying to the moon for the last 20 years, since my space flight," Tito told CBS News. "And here we were at SpaceX and they were interested in talking about a space flight. And I brought it up. And within a few minutes, we both were on board."
However, Tito said this next trip is still a ways away, though he hopes it will occur in the next five years.
"I know this rocket is going to be tested backwards and forwards; there'll be hundreds of flights before we're flying," Tito told Bloomberg in a separate interview. "We're not going to fly next year. It's going to be a wait."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other Hollywood news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.
-
Magazine solutions - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
Magazine printables - August 2, 2024
Puzzles and Quizzes Issue - August 2, 2024
By The Week Staff Published
-
'In a normal country, their activities wouldn't even be crimes'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Nasa's 'strangest find': pure sulphur on Mars
Under the Radar Curiosity rover discovers elemental sulphur rocks, adding to 'growing evidence' of life-sustaining elements on Red Planet
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
10 recent scientific breakthroughs
In Depth From cell reparation to reef restoration
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
NASA, astronauts shrug off Starliner return trip delay
Speed Read Two astronauts are stuck on the International Space Station due to problems with Boeing’s Starliner
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What would a colony on the Moon look like?
Today's Big Question People could be living in lunar 'houses' by 2040, says Nasa
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
The difficult job of defining a species
The Explainer Though taxonomy is hundreds of years old, scientists are still striving to create a universal and easily understood system
By Abby Wilson Published
-
Celestial events to watch in 2024
The Explainer Meteor showers, eclipses and more are coming to the skies
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
What is NASA working on?
In Depth A running list of the space agency's most exciting developments
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
This year's solar storms will help future Mars astronauts
The explainer Getting to the Red Planet requires planning and a whole lot of knowledge
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published