LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Latest on SpaceX's announcement of the first private moon flight passenger (all times local):
6:50 p.m.
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa says he will invite six to eight artists, architects, designers and other creative people on a weeklong journey to circumnavigate the moon.
Maezawa said Monday that the SpaceX BFR rocket will make the trip in 2023.
The 42-year-old entrepreneur says he wants his guests to be inspired to create once they return to Earth.
He appeared at an event Monday at SpaceX headquarters near Los Angeles.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk says the BFR is still in development. The reusable 118-meter (387-foot) rocket will have its own dedicated passenger ship.
___
6:40 p.m.
SpaceX says Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will be first private passenger on a solo rocket trip around the moon.
The 42-year-old entrepreneur appeared at an event Monday evening at the space launch company's headquarters.
He says it's been his lifelong dream to go into space. He says just thinking about the journey gets his heart racing.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk says Maezawa will fly to the moon aboard a new rocket called the BFR, which is still in development.
The reusable 118-meter (387-foot) rocket will have its own dedicated passenger ship.
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.
___
8 a.m.
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.
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.