Hardware FixRecommendedDevice not working? Your driver may be the problemCheck updates for common hardware issues.Fix DriversOctober DealsAmazon USOctober deal check: compare before you payAmazon US: current deals, useful picks and tech finds.Check DealsWindows FixRecommendedWindows errors stealing your time? Find the fix fastScan stability, cleanup and performance issues.Fix Now×
Skip to content
The Finance Base
The Money Desk · Blog
Re:

How Much Are SpaceX Tourists Actually Paying to Fly Around the Moon?

SpaceX lists Moon-orbit missions but no public fare. Maezawa’s dearMoon charter price was not disclosed, and the planned flight was canceled before launch.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

SpaceX has not published a price for a seat on a trip around the Moon. The best-known planned flight, dearMoon, was a privately chartered mission backed by Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa; its contract value was not publicly disclosed in the cited sources. The project was canceled in June 2024 before it flew, so there is no completed dearMoon trip or confirmed fare to report.

What did Yusaku Maezawa pay SpaceX for dearMoon?

The contract amount has not been publicly established in the cited sources. The Congressional Research Service reported in 2020 that Maezawa placed a down payment for a privately chartered tourist flight around the Moon, but it did not state the payment or the total contract value. A down payment alone does not reveal the full price. The CRS report is also explicit about a separate figure often confused with the lunar mission: its reported $55 million price was for a SpaceX trip to the International Space Station, not a trip around the Moon.

Maezawa was the backer of the charter, not one customer among a group of passengers each shown a retail ticket price. He selected companions for the proposed flight; there is no disclosed per-person fare for them. Dividing an alleged mission cost by the number of crew members would produce a hypothetical allocation, not evidence of what any passenger paid.

Did the dearMoon crew pay for their seats?

The crew selection does not establish that the companions purchased tickets. The Associated Press reported that Maezawa bought seats for eight companions and that he selected them from one million applicants. Those companions were invited participants in his planned charter, not evidence of individually priced consumer seats. The AP report does not disclose the charter’s price.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

SpaceX said more than one million people in 249 countries and regions applied to fly on Starship as part of dearMoon. That is an application count, not a count of paying customers or a clue to what the mission cost. SpaceX’s August 12, 2024 update does not give a fare.

Was dearMoon canceled?

Yes. Maezawa canceled the project on June 1, 2024, before the flight took place. AP reported that the decision followed uncertainty about when Starship would be ready. Maezawa said he had signed the SpaceX contract in 2018 on the assumption that launch would happen by the end of 2023, but the timing remained uncertain. The project organizer’s cancellation notice, quoted by AP, said: “Without clear schedule certainty in the near-term, it is with a heavy heart that Maezawa made the unavoidable decision to cancel the project.”

Rank #2
Sale
Space Atlas, Second Edition: Mapping the Universe and Beyond
  • Book - space atlas, second edition: mapping the universe and beyond
  • Language: english
  • Binding: hardcover

The dearMoon project website now carries a cancellation notice. Because the flight never happened, it did not establish a completed lunar-tour market price.

Can you book a SpaceX flight around the Moon now?

SpaceX’s Human Spaceflight page currently describes a mission to the Moon’s orbit and invites prospective customers to inquire. The company lists a seven-day duration, an altitude of 384,400 km from Earth, and seating for up to 12 passengers. These are details on SpaceX’s mission page, not a public fare, confirmed launch date, or priced booking checkout. Its invitation is “Book your flight to travel to the Moon’s orbit,” but the page does not state what a flight costs.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

What does the $55 million SpaceX figure cover?

It is a historical reported price for a different destination and mission type. In its 2020 report, the Congressional Research Service cited $55 million for a SpaceX trip to the International Space Station. That figure is not a Moon-tour ticket price, and it should not be used to estimate the cost of a lunar charter: an ISS trip and a privately chartered flight around the Moon are not equivalent products.

Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

What is known about the cost?

  • Public SpaceX lunar seat fare: not stated on SpaceX’s current Human Spaceflight page.
  • dearMoon contract total: not disclosed in the cited sources.
  • Maezawa’s down payment: reported by the Congressional Research Service in 2020, with no amount given.
  • Companion ticket prices: not established; the companions were selected for Maezawa’s charter.
  • dearMoon flight status: canceled in June 2024 before launch.

Accordingly, claims that Maezawa paid a specific total or that each dearMoon passenger paid a specific amount should be treated as estimates unless they are backed by a reliable disclosure of the actual contract or fare.

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 2
Space Atlas, Second Edition: Mapping the Universe and Beyond
Space Atlas, Second Edition: Mapping the Universe and Beyond
Book - space atlas, second edition: mapping the universe and beyond; Language: english; Binding: hardcover
$32.45
SaleBestseller No. 4
SaleBestseller No. 5

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Free tools Windows power users keep installed

One-click scans. No signup required.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

More post from the Money Desk

  1. The Money DeskBlogTheFinanceBase09 OCT 267 minMortgage Escrow FAQs: Taxes, Insurance, Shortages, and Refunds
  2. The Money DeskBlogTheFinanceBase09 OCT 265 minHow Mortgage Escrow Accounts Work and What Homeowners Pay For
  3. The Money DeskBlogTheFinanceBase09 OCT 265 minHow to Read a Stock Chart, Volume and Market-Cap Data
Recommended PC Tool
Recommended PC Tool
Windows Errors? Fix Them Before They SpreadFree repair scan
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?Free driver scan

Two free Windows tools

One Free Minute Could Fix That PC

Before you go - each of these free tools takes about a minute and tackles what quietly slows a Windows PC down.

Special offer. View Outbyte info, uninstall instructions, EULA, and Privacy Policy.