More than 300,000 people have signed up for the chance to be one of eight to accompany a Japanese billionaire on a six-day trip around the moon.
Yusaku Maezawa invited people from around the world to apply for a place on the voyage, due to take place on SpaceX's Starship as early as 2023.
Among the hundreds of thousands of budding astronauts, space mad Britons have signed up in their thousands, ranking fifth out of all the countries involved.
SpaceX is testing prototypes of its Starship reusable launch vehicle, with the latest exploding just ten minutes after a succesful high-altitude flight and landing.
The space firm described this as a success, explaining that it landed as expected and as a prototype, each test provides essential and valuable information.
Applications to be a crew member of the dearMoon Project will remain open until March 14, the billionaire said, adding he bought all the seats on the spaceship.
'I want people from all kinds of backgrounds to join,' the 45-year-old said.
Applications are due by March 14 with screening complete by March 21, after which applicants will be given an assignment and and interview.
A final interview and medical checkup is then due to take place in May next year, before the eight people are selected.
Maezawa had originally sought artists to accompany him on the trip, which was first announced in September 2018.
However, he decided to broaden the search to a 'more diverse audience', provided they are prepared to 'push the envelope' creatively and able to support other crew members 'who share similar aspirations'.
He had also proposed the idea of finding a 'girlfriend' to accompany him around the moon - with the journey turned into a television show.
But he canceled the hunt in January last year despite 27,722 women applying, saying he had reservations about the idea.
'Despite my genuine and honest determination toward the show, there was a part of me that still had mixed feelings about my participation,' he said at the time.
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who bought all the tickets on SpaceX's first flight to the moon due in 2023, is seeking eight 'creative types' to join him on board
It is expected to take three days to reach the Moon, loop around it, and three days to return to Earth, Mr Maezawa said.
There will be between ten and 12 people on board the ship in total, including Yusaku Maezawa, SpaceX crew and the eight volunteers.
Maezawa and his band of astronauts will become the first lunar voyagers since the last US Apollo mission in 1972 - if SpaceX can pull the trip off.
It could be a close race with NASA though, as the US space agency is scheduled to launch Artemis II in the summer of 2023 - this will see a crew fly on the Orion spacecraft around the moon then journey back to Earth.
However, even if NASA does beat Maezawa to a 2023 lunar joyride, his passengers will still be the first civilians to go further than low Earth orbit.
The journey rests on the shoulders of SpaceX as it is dependent on Starship being flight ready by 2023 - which, with a series of landing explosions could be tricky.
SpaceX carried out tests on its Starship SN10 rocket on Wednesday, the same model that will be used for the dearMoon Project, according to Mr Maezawa.
Although the prototype managed to touch down in Texas, minutes later it exploded and burst into flames.
'RIP SN10, honorable discharge,' SpaceX owner Elon Musk tweeted.
