Recently, Elon Musk's SpaceX announced that it plans to launch its first civilian crew into space by the end of this year. The aircraft will be a Crew Dragon capsule that will go into orbit around the Earth, and will be known as the "world's first all-civilian mission."
In charge of the aircraft will be Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments
"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 in a statement, quoted by CNBC.
The crew members will be Isaacman, a St. Jude ambassador, another associated with St. Judes, and two raffle winners: a Shift4 Payments entrepreneur and a donator to St. Judes. Isaacman also goes on to add that he believes and recognizes that it is an enormous responsibility as well as means of inspiration to hold such strong connections to the charity of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. He knows that the donations will likely make a significant impact, and thus, has made the decision to dedicate two seats on the SpaceX mission to St. Jude.
Isaacman and the rest of Inspiration4 are prepared to undergo commercial astronaut training that will be held by SpaceX with a focus on orbital mechanics, zero gravity, etc. Inspiration4 will depart from Kennedy Space Center's historic Launch Complex 9A, the place at which Apollo and Space Shuttle also departed. The Inspiration4 will also travel across the Earth at an orbit that will eclipse nearly 90% of it.
This particular embarkation of Inspiration4 will serve to captivate and enrich the minds and hearts of all, not only because it is the first held civilian crew that will launch into space, but because it is so heavily charity-focused. The mission will surely propell SpaceX towards its ultimate goal of sending astronauts to Mars.
