SpaceX To Fly Two Space Tourists Around The Moon In 2018

By Matt McFarland

PHILADELPHIA (CNN)--Two tourists are paying SpaceX for a trip around the moon next year.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced Monday afternoon that the travelers had already placed a significant deposit.

"Next year is going to be a big year for carrying people to the space station and hopefully beyond," Musk said in a conference call with reporters.

SpaceX will use the same launch pad near Cape Canaveral, Florida, that was used for the Apollo programs missions.

This story is developing and will be updated.