US private rocket company SpaceX confirmed that two people had paid to take the flight.

The mission, which is the brainchild of businessman and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, is planned for late 2018.

Musk revealed that the pair of tourists had already paid a “significant” undisclosed deposit.

Musk said: “This presents an opportunity for humans to return to deep space for the first time in 45 years.”

He said the two passengers “will travel faster and further into the solar system than any before them”.

According to Musk, the space tourists will loop around the Moon and in the process, skim the lunar surface.

The unnamed passengers will fly onboard a rocket, which is due to have its first unmanned test flight later this year, BBC News reports.

Musk explained how the co-operation between SpaceX and US space agency Nasa had made the moon mission a reality.

He declined to disclose the identities of SpaceX’s first customers, joking that “it’s nobody from Hollywood”.

“Like the Apollo astronauts before them, these individuals will travel into space carrying the hopes and dreams of all humankind, driven by the universal human spirit of exploration,” Musk added.

“We expect to conduct health and fitness tests, as well as begin initial training later this year.”