SpaceX will fly its first space mission with a fully civilian crew later this year

SpaceX announced on Monday that it will launch four private individuals on a Crew Dragon capsule in orbit around the Earth, nicknamed the “first civilian mission in the world” and scheduled to be launched in 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 escort seats to the mission “to the crew members who will be selected to represent the pillars of the mission’s 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 where anyone can venture out and explore the stars. I appreciate the immense responsibility that comes with commanding this mission and I want to use this historic moment to inspire humanity. while helping to fight childhood cancer here on Earth, “Isaacman said in a statement.

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” trip into orbit until 2022.