SpaceX to fly two fares around moon

LOS ANGELES — SpaceX said Monday that it will fly two private citizens around the moon in its Crew Dragon spacecraft next year.

The Hawthorne, Calif.-based space company said in a statement that the two individuals have “already paid a significant deposit” to do a moon mission. Initial training, along with health and fitness tests, will occur later this year, SpaceX said.

“This will be a private mission to a paying customer,” said company Chief Executive Elon Musk.

Musk declined to name the individuals or the exact cost of the mission in a conference call with reporters but did say that the two individuals know each other.

The capsule will launch atop SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, which is set to have its first flight this summer. The flight would last about a week, circle the moon and head out deeper into space before returning to Earth.

AP/The Republican/DAVID MOLNAR People go through the flattened remains of a barn at J&J Maggs Antiques in Conway, Mass., on Sunday, the day after a storm blew through the town. The storm heavily damaged several buildings, tearing off roofs and knocking down walls.