Spacex plans to launch its mission around the moon in 2023. This is a big announced as since 1972, after Apollo 17 there has been no mission to moon. NASA stopped funding Apollo project because of financial and political pressures.
The Japanese billionaire funding SpaceX's first moon launch is none other than Yusaku Maezawa, a former rock band drummer and the founder of the Japanese online retailer Zozotown.
Maezawa has had a soft spot for the moon since his youth. "Ever since I was a kid, I have loved the moon." But he also loves art and fashion, and has spent millions on his personal art collection.
Maezawa was also one of two people who signed on to fly around the moon on a Dragon spacecraft under a previous Falcon Heavy plan by SpaceX. The company has since scrapped that project in favor of the Lunar BFR Mission.
BFR Rocket
The flight will take place in the updated design of SpaceX's BFR rocket. BFR was first unveiled in 2016 and in 2017, SpaceX refined its design for increased capacity and better fuel efficiency. BFR rockets are quite popular as Interplanetary Transport System. The largest design is a reusable rocket and is about 118 meters in length. It is capable of carrying 100 people and 100 tons of payload, as Musk says.
Crew Ship(BFS)
The total cost of this BFR project is around 5 billion USD and Maezawa has already bought entire flight, which represents a significant portion of total cost. The crew ship will have 40 staterooms.
"I choose to go to the moon with artists." Those were Maezawa's words when he was first announced as SpaceX's moon passenger. His aim is to promote world peace and create art in space. Other artists will be traveling for free on this trip. He is promoting this with #dearmoon and has also launched a website https://dearmoon.earth.
According to SpaceX, the entire flight would take about a week, with Maezawa and his artist passengers lifting off aboard the crewed ship, cruising to the moon, performing a single flyby around the moon and then returning to Earth. The flight profile has much in common with NASA's Apollo 8 mission to the moon, except it will not enter lunar orbit.
2 minutes and 51 seconds after launch, the boosters will separate from the crew ship and head back to earth. Like previous Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, boosters will use grid fins to landed at a safe site on earth. Meanwhile, BFS(Big Falcon Spaceship) will deploy solar panel to generate power for cruise around the moon.
After 2 days into the trip, lunar flyby will start. The spaceship will skim over lunar's surface, providing a mesmerizing view of the moon.There will be no stop at the moon.
Spacecraft will continue its trip and then at 21 hours on the second day, passengers will witness earthrise, which was first witnessed by NASA's Apollo 8 astronauts in December 1968.
About 3 days and 12 hours into the Lunar BFR Mission, BFS will leave the moon and head back to earth. On day 5, the BFS spacecraft will begin descending through Earth's atmosphere, using its forward and aft wings to steer.
According to Elon Musk, the BFS spacecraft will fly "more like a skydiver than an aircraft" when it makes its landing approach.
This year, SpaceX has signed a deal with Port of Los Angeles to build a new rocket factory there. There the sections of BFR will be built. SpaceX plans to start testing its launch system, as early as 2019. Unmanned flights to moon will take place before Maezawa's trip to test safity of rocket design. Musk is planning more flight after the first success launch with Maezawa.
The next 10 years are going to be quite fun for space enthusiast.