Jared Isaacman is leading the Inspiration4 mission, which is scheduled to launch in the 4th quarter of 2021. (Image Credit: SpaceX)
For the first time, SpaceX is launching a crew of four private civilians on a Crew Dragon capsule into the Earth’s orbit. The mission, called Inspiration4, is scheduled to launch in late 2021. Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 payments, is commanding the spacecraft. The mission’s goal is to raise funds and awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Isaacman is reserving three seats for crew members who represent the mission pillars of leadership, hope, generosity, and prosperity. The mission is expected to last from two to four days.
“Inspiration4 is the realization of a lifelong dream and a step towards a future in which anyone can venture out and explore the stars. I appreciate the tremendous responsibility that comes with commanding this mission, and I want to use this historic moment to inspire humanity while helping to tackle childhood cancer here on Earth,” Isaacman said.
The occupant of the first seat represents Hope and is reserved for a St. Jude ambassador with direct ties to the mission. Meanwhile, the second seat represents Generosity and is reserved for the Win a Seat on Inspiration4 Sweepstakes contest. Any US resident is eligible to enter for a chance to win with a free entry. More contest entries can be added by making donations to St. Jude through the sweepstakes page. The final seat represents Prosperity, which is occupied by an entrant to the Shift4Shop Inspirational4 Contest on the eCommerce platform. Crew announcements are expected in March.
The Inspiration4 crew members are being trained by SpaceX. They’re being prepared for launch atop one of the Falcon 9 rockets. Isaacman decides the mission’s duration along with other parameters.
SpaceX is expected to use the Resilience Crew Dragon spacecraft, which is docked with the International Space Station. It launched NASA’s Crew-1 mission in November. NASA has been informed of the mission and is supportive.
In the past few years, SpaceX has announced several private missions. They include a deal with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa to fly aboard the Starship rocket on a journey around the moon in 2023. Additionally, SpaceX has space tourism deals with Axiom Space, which hopes to send four people to the International Space Station on a 10-day trip in early 2022, and Space Adventure, which aims to send four tourists on a five-day trip to orbit by 2022.
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