While little more than a handful of space tourists have ever escaped earth’s pull, mankind’s final frontier feels closer than ever.
Three billionaires—Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson—are racing to make it happen. Musk’s SpaceX had hoped to send two tourists around the moon late this year, a plan that seemed delayed. On Sept. 17 SpaceX announced that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa will be the first private passenger to ride around the moon on the company’s BFR rocket in 2023.