Dennis Tito, a millionaire, travel enthusiast and the first space tourist will be announcing his plans of a round trip mission in 2018, next week.
Tito is known to many as the first tourist to visit space. The multimillionaire and founder of a non-profit organization, Inspiration Mars Foundation, now plans to take two people to visit Mars in 2018.
According to a report by NASA, Tito plans to hold a press conference next week to announce the mission. The two-way mission will reportedly last for 501 days.
"This "Mission for America" will generate new knowledge, experience and momentum for the next great era of space exploration," read a press release from the non-profit organization. "It is intended to encourage all Americans to believe again, in doing the hard things that make our nation great, while inspiring youth through Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education and motivation."
According to a NewSpace Journal report, Tito hopes that Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, will blast a spaceship beyond low-Earth orbit. The report also states that Tito "plans to take advantage of a unique window of opportunity to launch an historic journey to Mars and back in 501 days, starting in January 2018."
Back in 2001, Tito spent $20 million in Russia to become the first Space tourist. The trip to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft lasted eight days. Details on how much the trip to the Red Planet will cost have not been revealed.
