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People Are Buying Private SpaceX Trips Around The Moon

SpaceX says two people have paid to take a lunar trip on a Falcon Heavy by the end of 2018.
Posted at 5:48 PM, Feb 27, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-27 17:48:39-05

Humans might be back at the moon by 2018.

SpaceX announced it will send two private citizens on a lunar voyage late next year. It plans to launch the two-person crew aboard the Dragon 2 spacecraft and Falcon Heavy rocket — both of which have yet to fly. 

The rocket will lift off from launch pad 39A — the same launch pad the Apollo program used.

The announcement comes days after NASA launched an investigation into the possibility of putting astronauts on the SLS rocket's first test flight — scheduled for 2018 — which is set to make a flyby of the moon.

So it looks like there may be a new space race — this time, between defending champion NASA and a private company. The only question is: Who will get there first?