SpaceX gets first private passenger for moon trip

SpaceX, the rocket company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, announced late Thursday that it has signed the world’s first private passenger to fly around the moon in its Big Falcon Rocket (BFR).

The company tweeted that the mystery citizen’s identity will be revealed on Monday at 9 p.m. ET.

"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," the company tweeted.

But Musk later hinted that the passenger could be Japanese by tweeting the country’s flag when asked if he was the one being sent.

Thursday night’s tweet also included a new image of the Big Falcon Rocket, which has long remained under wraps since the company announced it would undergo changes to make its production and deployment more feasible.

Musk responded to questions from Twitter users following the announcement, saying that the rocket is still in development and has been “intentionally” designed to resemble one seen in a classic comic book series, “The Adventures of Tintin.”

If all goes well, this unnamed passenger will be the first person to visit the moon since NASA’s Apollo mission in 1972.

According to SpaceX, only 24 humans have been to the moon in history.

SpaceX has also set up a livestream for the announcement on Monday.

The company first made plans to fly two private citizens around the moon in February of 2017 using the company’s Falcon Heavy rocket and Dragon capsule, but those plans have apparently been revised.