Ilon Musk claims that the crew on the Big Falcon Rocket will be able to land on the Moon one day. But these plans are seen in the distant future.
So far, only 12 earthlings managed to walk across the moon and all of them are NASA astronauts. Another 12 people (again, American astronauts) managed to fly around it, but did not descend to the surface. The second scenario may be repeated, but now the space tourist, the Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maedzawa, will play the role of the crew. He will take with him 6-8 representatives of art to make an orbit around the earth satellite at BFR in 2023 (if everything goes according to plan).
Obviously, Maezawa had to pay a decent amount for such a cruise, although no one cites official figures. For this money, he will be able to leave his home planet, to enjoy the rare views of the moon alive, but no landing and excursions on the surface. The fact is that landing, landing and returning from the moon, as well as returning to Earth, is a complex process that requires a special design of a spacecraft.
Why can't SpaceX put the crew on the moon?
If you watched the Apollo moon landing mission in the late 1960s and early 70s, you might have noticed that the command module (remained in orbit) never touched the satellite surface. Instead, the two astronauts had to climb into the lunar module and descend while the third crew member waited in orbit. After the lunar walk, the modules started and again returned to orbit to the ship to return to Earth. But the plan was not always so. Apollo engineers for a long time tried to think of ways to land the entire command module. But they realized that a return start and a return would become an unbearable burden even for such a large-scale mission. SpaceX's BFR will be more powerful than the Saturn 5 rocket, but not by much. In early 2018, the company released a promotional video showing a simulation machine for the crew of the BFR, landing on the moon. However, there was no information confirming the overcoming of certain technical problems.
NASA had to give up on overcoming problems in the 1960s. So the idea came with a disposable and ultralight boarding module for moonwalks
Why won't SpaceX create its own module?
Speaking in theory, the company is quite capable of creating its own lunar module. In the end, SpaceX made many successful landings, which NASA did in the 1960s. not even dreamed of. And Musk stated that one day his ships would land on Mars. However, it is worth remembering that Apollo turned out to be an incredibly expensive mission.
Between 1963-1973 NASA program cost $ 2.24 billion (lunar module), $ 3.73 billion (command) and $ 6.42 billion (Saturn-5 rocket). If inflation is taken into account, in 2018 it is $ 17 billion. Of course, modern modifications could make the module easier and cheaper.
The Apollo original landing module carried only two astronauts at a time, although the models later coped with heavy loads. It is believed that the SpaceX landing gear should transport the entire composition of passengers to the lunar surface with a high level of comfort and safety. And then, ideally, it would be nice to organize a tour of the surface.
The problem is always in people
If SpaceX repeated the principles and objectives of the Apollo mission, then everything would be much easier. After all, it would be about professional astronauts capable of landing the ship and knowing about the dangers of space. In the end, they are prepared for a long time for crisis situations and the ability to conduct a start, docking and landing.
Here we are talking about space tourists who do not have engineering skills, are not oriented in space and do not know how to react in mortal danger. Then the theoretical landing gear had to have a professional team and tourists, and thus accommodate many more people. Therefore, in the near future, tourists will be able to enjoy the view of the Moon from afar. But Musk does not exclude the possibility that one day we will be able to walk on the lunar surface.
