Beat the Market With Our Free Pre-Market Newsletter Enter your email to get Benzinga's ultimate morning update: The PreMarket Activity Newsletter SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Friday that its Dragon spacecraft will take humans farther in space than they have been in over half a century this year, hinting at a space mission to venture beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO). What Happened: The last time humans set foot on the Moon was in 1972 with Apollo 17. Since then, no crew has traveled beyond LEO. However, Musk on Friday hinted that SpaceX might undertake a journey beyond LEO this year and wrote, “This year, the SpaceX Dragon spaceship will take astronauts the furthest they've been from Earth in over half a century.” Why It Matters: The Dragon spacecraft, capable of carrying up to 7 passengers, has made 40 visits to the International Space Station (ISS) thus far. It is, however, capable of going beyond the ISS to the Moon, according to SpaceX. SpaceX’s Starship launch vehicle, meanwhile, should be able to make it to the moon in less than 5 years, Musk said, while not providing a fresh timeline for his dreams to land humans on Earth’s neighboring planet Mars. In December 2023, Musk expressed hopes of getting to Mars in ten years. Trending Investment Opportunities