SpaceX Officially Gets Its First Space Tourist for Flight Around the Moon

SpaceX officially has its first space tourist, ready and waiting to take flight.

The futuristic company announced on Thursday that the world's first private passenger to take a trip around the moon has signed on with the company. Just who that person is hasn't been revealed yet. But, SpaceX plans to announce the person at an event on Monday.

Thursday's announcement comes after a string of delays for SpaceX. However, the signing on of its first passenger is an indication that the company's plans to launch a crewed mission into space in 2019 are back on track.

"SpaceX has signed the world's first private passenger to fly around the Moon aboard our BFR launch vehicle — an important step toward enabling access for everyday people who dream of traveling to space," the company said in a tweet. "Find out who's flying and why on Monday, September 17."

The trip has been a long time coming for the company. SpaceX CEO and Founder Elon Musk said in 2017 that it had been approached by two people who had paid "significant deposits" to be on the first, which was originally planned to take off before the end of 2018, using a Falcon Heavy rocket and Dragon crew capsule. In June, however, those plans were pushed back.

This time around, SpaceX's intentions are filed under its "Lunar BFR Mission," using a 350-foot Big Falcon Rocket, or BFR. While the rocket is still under development, it will be able to transport around 100 passengers, according to NBC News.

While we wait to hear just who this space tourist will be, Musk left us all to wonder with a single emoji — that of the Japanese flag...