SpaceX delays space mission to circle moon

SpaceX will reportedly no longer be sending a pair of space tourists to circle the moon this year.

The flight - set up by the rocket company founded by billionaire Elon Musk -- was scheduled for late 2018, but this has been delayed to mid-2019 or later, Cnet.com reports, citing The Wall Street Journal.

The reason for the delay is unclear.

The flight was announced in February 2017, with SpaceX saying that two unidentified private citizens had put down a "significant deposit" for the trip and that other flight teams had expressed interest in taking a similar journey.

The plan was for the tourists to fly on a Dragon Crew spacecraft launched from Earth by a Falcon Heavy rocket.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Friday, Musk challenged Boeing's assertion that it would put the first human on Mars before SpaceX does.