82 Year Old Billionaire First To Sign Up for Next SpaceX Flight

An 82-year-old billionaire and his wife are the first two to sign up for a trip around the moon courtesy of Elon Musk's Starship blasting off from right here in Texas.

According to NBC DFW, Dennis Tito has a chance to return to space just like he did 21 years ago when he went to the International Space Station.

This time it will be a weeklong orbit coming within 125 miles of the moon's surface, and his 57-year-old wife Akiko will be by his side.

Tito did not mention how much he is paying, but his International Space Station trip cost him $20 million back in 2001.

The two space lovers realize it will be a few years of testing before they can board Starship and orbit the moon for a week.

"We have to keep healthy for as many years as it's going to take for SpaceX to complete this vehicle," Tito said to The Associated Press. "I might be sitting in a rocking chair, not doing any good exercise if it wasn't for this mission."

The couple's contract with SpaceX includes an option that says their flight will be sometime in the next 5 years, putting Tito at 87.

Tito sold his investment company Wilshire Associates a couple of years ago and said he is not ashamed of splurging on a flight to space instead of spending the money he has on other things.

Tito also said he wants to let people know that age is just a number, and he wants to beat John Glenn as the oldest person in orbit when he went on a space shuttle flight in 1998 at 77 years old.

Tito could possibly beat him by 10 years if the flight is 5 years from now.