This week, e-commerce and clothing magnate Yusaku Maezawa signed on to become SpaceX’s first passenger for the Big Falcon’s flight to the moon.
The first BFR, as it’s informally (and potentially profanely) called, is scheduled to take the trip in about five years. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk recently revealed that the craft will measure 118 meters in length. Construction is assumed to have already begun on the interplanetary ship.
The BFR moon flight is intended to be an essential test. Pragmatic dreamer Musk sees the rocket traveling to a near-future colony on Mars, delivering 100 passengers per trip, as well as many hundreds of tons of cargo.
The BFR will use a special launch system to heave its bulk skyward, consisting of a booster launch to effect orbit around the earth, followed by a refueling in space prior to the journey. The rocket—and the booster, which will fly itself back to earth when spent—are reusable, making the BFR design the logical heir of the Space Shuttle as SpaceX is the heir apparent of NASA. The BFR prototype is expected to be completed at some point in 2019.
If all goes as planned, Maezawa will redeem his boarding pass in 2023, becoming the first paying customer to make the trip into outer space. A fashion mogul who started life as a punk rocker, the billionaire’s fashion company Zozo launched in the U.S. this summer.
Yusaku Maezawa’s net worth is estimated at $2.9 billion.