SpaceX’s first private passenger to the moon will be Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa

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 of the space launch company near Los Angeles.

He says it’s been his lifelong dream to go into space. He says just thinking about the journey gets his heart racing.

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WATCH: SpaceX rocket deploys satellite and lands successfully

0:33 SpaceX rocket deploys satellite and lands successfully

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