SpaceX to name first private passenger who will take trip to the moon

(SpaceX/Twitter)

In this Feb. 6, 2018 file photo, Elon Musk, founder, CEO, and lead designer of SpaceX, speaks at a news conference after the Falcon 9 SpaceX heavy rocket launched successfully from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. SpaceX says it’s signed the first private moon traveler. The big reveal on who it is and when the flight to the moon will be is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

HAWTHORNE, Calif. — SpaceX is on the verge of announcing the name of person who would be the first private passenger on a trip around the moon.

The identity of the traveler will be released at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, during an event Monday evening.

Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s space launch company said last week that the person will fly to the moon aboard a new rocket called the BFR, which is still in development.

SpaceX has said it will also reveal why the person is going.

SpaceX has signed the world’s first private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard our BFR launch vehicle—an important step toward enabling access for everyday people who dream of traveling to space. Find out who’s flying and why on Monday, September 17. pic.twitter.com/64z4rygYhk

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 14, 2018

No guidance has been given on when the moon flight could happen.

The average distance from Earth to the moon is about 237,685 miles (382,500 kilometers).

No one has been there since an Apollo mission in 1972.

Only 24 humans have been to the Moon in history. No one has visited since the last Apollo mission in 1972. https://t.co/gtC39uBC7z

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 14, 2018