And with that, the first-ever fully manned orbital space flight is a fact. At the same time, however, it is also the prelude to more…

Last night was the day: the launch of the first fully civilian-manned orbital spaceflight organized by SpaceX. Four ‘ordinary’ people boarded the Crew Dragon spacecraft and spend the next few hours orbiting our Earth, enjoying a beautiful view. After three days and a whole experience richer, they will land on our planet again.

Citizens

It is a special milestone. For this mission, dubbed the Inspiration4 mission, is the world’s first all-citizen spaceflight to orbit around the Earth. The Crew Dragon was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, from the historic 39A launch site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The flight has a crew of four and is led by wealthy businessman, veteran pilot and adventurer Jared Isaacman. He is joined by St. Jude Children’s Hospital assistant physician Hayley Arceneaux, Air Force veteran and data engineer Chris Sembroski, and scientist, entrepreneur and pilot Sian Proctor.

How are seats allocated?
Isaacman bought all four seats and reserved one for himself. The second and third seats were raffled respectively among people who donated money to St. Jude (a hospital in Memphis) and employees of the same hospital. And the fourth seat was for the winner of a competition organized by Isaacman’s company.

Although the Crew Dragon was not occupied by professional astronauts for the first time, the crew does not get in completely blank either. “We are well prepared for the challenges ahead in the next three days,” Isaacman said just before the launch. “We look forward to sharing our experiences with the world.”

Launch

After a successful launch, the four lucky space tourists have now been above the atmosphere for some time. Not only do they now experience weightlessness, they can also enjoy the spectacular view of our planet. They complete one orbit around the Earth approximately every 90 minutes. But the mission isn’t just meant to be a fun outing. Some important experiments are also planned.

childhood cancer

During the multi-day journey, the Inspiration4 crew will conduct scientific research. For example, they will conduct some experiments to improve human health on Earth and during future long-term space flights. And that goal is not for nothing. For example, the Inspiration4 mission is completely devoted to the fight against childhood cancer and the crew wants to make an important contribution to curing this disease on earth. Isaacman hopes to raise money with the flight and raise as much as $200 million for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. “The importance of Inspiration4 cannot be overstated,” said Richard Shadyac Jr. of the relevant hospital. “The mission ushers in a new era for civil space, while also offering hope for children.”

Further

The mission will go beyond previous space flights involving ordinary civilians (think Virgin Galactic’s suborbital flight earlier this year that flew to 80 kilometers, followed by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin which reached an altitude of just over 100 kilometers). The Crew Dragon focuses on an orbit about 575 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, flying further than any human has been since Hubble. As the Inspiration4 mission nears its end, Crew Dragon will initiate the return to Earth. After being severely slowed down by the atmosphere and parachutes, the spacecraft should land with a splash off the coast of Florida. There, the four are then picked up by boats within an hour.

With the mission, SpaceX brings space for the common people one step closer. “The all-civilian Inspiration4 astronauts are paving the way for a future where space is more accessible to everyone,” said Gwynne Shotwell of SpaceX. At the same time, the mission is also a prelude to more. In 2023, the space company aims to undertake the first fully civilian-manned mission to the moon. During this mission – dubbed dearMoon – nine people will orbit our natural satellite. If you like it and meet some criteria, you can register via this site.