Want to explore outer space without an astronaut?
SpaceX plans to launch four private citizens into orbit around Earth later this year, it said Monday in a press release.
The mission, known as Inspiration4, is called “the world’s first civilian mission.” Elon Musk’s company is committed to launching the Crew Dragon capsule in the fourth quarter of 2021.
The company’s spacecraft will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments. The mission, known as Inspiration4, seeks to support support for St. John’s Children’s Research Hospital. Jude. Isaacman is giving the three seats accompanying the mission “to crew members who will be selected to represent the mission’s pillars of leadership, hope, generosity and prosperity,” SpaceX said in a press release.
“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 am grateful for the enormous responsibility involved in commanding this mission and I want to take this historic moment to inspire humanity and help fight childhood cancer here on Earth, ”Isaacman said in a statement.
Isaacman has donated to St. Jude two of the mission seats, with a “reserved for a St. Jude ambassador with direct links to the mission.” The fourth and final seat of the crew will be decided by an online competition that will run from February 1 to 28, open to new and existing customers of Isaacman’s Shift4Shop e-commerce platform.
The Inspiration4 crew will undergo a SpaceX-led training, in which they will prepare for launch on one of the company’s Falcon 9 rockets.
Elon Musk’s company has announced several private missions in recent years, including a deal with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa to fly the company’s Starship rocket on a trip around the Moon in 2023. SpaceX also has deals on space tourism with Axiom Space, which aims to fly four people on the International Space Station on a 10-day trip early next year, and Space Adventures, which plans to fly four tourists on a five-day trip “free” days in orbit in 2022.