Would you like to explore outer space without an astronaut?
SpaceX plans to launch four private citizens into orbit around Earth by the end of this year, it said in a press release on Monday.
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 by the fourth quarter of 2021.
The company’s spacecraft will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments. The mission, known as Inspiration4, aims to gather support for St. John’s Children’s Research Hospital. Jude. Isaacman donates the three mission escorts “to the 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 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 as we help fight childhood cancer here on Earth, “Isaacman said in a statement.
Isaacman gave St. Jude two of the mission sites, with one “reserved for a St. Jude ambassador with direct links to the mission.” The fourth and final place of the crew will be decided by an online competition that takes place between February 1 and February 28, open to new and existing customers of Isaacman’s Shift4Shop e-commerce platform.
The Inspiration4 crew will follow a SpaceX-led training, in which they will prepare for launch on one of the company’s Falcon 9 missiles.
Elon Musk’s company has announced several private missions in recent years, including an agreement with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa to fly the company’s Starship rocket on a trip around the moon in 2023. SpaceX also has space travel deals with Axiom Space, which aims to fly four people to 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 “free” orbit. 2022.