SpaceX to send two people around the moon who paid for a 2018 private mission

CEO Elon Musk said the private journey would take about a week, nearing the moon's surface without landing on it

The SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, revealed on Monday that two people have paid for a private mission around the moon, tentatively set for launch in 2018 with the private company's yet untested Falcon Heavy rocket.

In a conference call with reporters, Musk declined to name the people or what they had paid, though he said the individuals know each other and are "very serious" about the flight. The "private citizens" approached the company late last year and will receive training and take health and fitness tests as early as this year.