Dennis Tito and his wife Akiko.Photo: SpaceX

This photo provided by SpaceX photo shows Dennis Tito and his wife, Akiko, at the company’s Starship rocket base near Boca Chica, Texas, on Monday, Oct. 10, 2022. The couple has booked a flight to the moon on SpaceX’s Starship

Dennis Tito, the world’s first space tourist, plans to take his wife Akiko on a belated honeymoon to the moon.

The couple, who has been married for two years, said the idea arose during a visit to the SpaceX Starship development complex near Brownsville, Texas.

“I’ve been thinking about flying to the moon for the last 20 years, since my space flight,” Tito, 82, toldCBS Morningsin an interview that aired Monday. “And here we were at SpaceX (recently) and they were interested in talking about a space flight. And I brought it up. And within a few minutes, we both were on board.”

Tito, a former aerospace engineer, previously paid Russia $20 million for a trip to the International Space Station in 2001, according to theAssociated Press.

While speaking withCBS Mornings, Tito declined to discuss how much the two seats onElon Musk’s Starship will cost.

Dennis Tito.Mikhail Metzel/AP/Shutterstock

U.S. multimillionaire Dennis Tito gives a thumbs up shortly after his landing in the Central Asian steppes, 80 kilometers (50 miles) northeast of Arkalyk, Kazakstan on . The world’s first space tourist has signed up to spin around the moon aboard Elon Musk’s Starship

However, it’ll likely be some time before the couple will be able to take the trip.

Tito and his wife, 57, toldCBS Morningsthe spacecraft still has to complete several test flights, but they’re hopeful it will happen within the next five years.

“We have to keep healthy for as many years as it’s going to take for SpaceX to complete this vehicle,” Tito told theAssociated Press. “I might be sitting in a rocking chair, not doing any good exercise, if it wasn’t for this mission.”

As the AP noted, Tito’s reservation was made years afterJapanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawabecame SpaceX’s first paying customer for a trip around the moon in 2018.

But, Tito and his wife have faith that everything will work out.

“We’re prepared to wait as long as it takes to get everything perfected,” Tito toldCBS Mornings.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free weekly newsletterto get the biggest news of the week delivered to your inbox every Friday.

As for the sum the trip will cost, Tito, who sold his investment company about two years ago, told the AP he thinks the experience will be well worth the price tag.

“We’re retired and now it’s time to reap the rewards of all the hard work,” he said.

source: people.com