SpaceX's Inspiration4 All-Civilian Mission Is Just One Month Away!

SpaceX’s Inspiration4 all-civilian mission is just one month away! The historic flight will become a Netflix documentary series – Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space –that is scheduled to premiere on September 6. A crew of four civilians will launch aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket on September 15 from Launch Complex-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida [time pending]. This mission is special because besides being the first all-civilian flight in history, it is a massive fundraiser effort for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The mission is funded by Shift4Payments founder Jared Isaacman, who dreams of going to space and wanted to make the spaceflight meaningful. “I could have just invited a bunch of my pilot buddies to go, and we would have had a great time and come back and had a bunch of cocktails,” Isaacman told TIME reporters. “Instead, we wanted to bring in everyday people and energize everyone else around the idea of opening up spaceflight to more and more of us.”

During August, all Mission: Inspired fundraisers have a chance to earn a personalized message from @inspiration4x Commander @rookisaacman. If you are one of the top 5 fundraisers on Aug. 31, Jared will record a personalized message while he’s in space! https://t.co/RdmEwjtai5

— St. Jude (@StJude) August 17, 2021

Isaacman donated a seat aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to former St. Jude patient Hayley Arceneaux, who survived pediatric bone cancer and is now a physician assistant at the hospital. She will make history as the youngest woman to launch to space at just 29 years old and also become the first astronaut to launch to orbit with a prosthesis in her left leg. Doctors removed part of the femur when she was 10 years old. “[…] I have so much faith in our SpaceX team that I’m not nervous about a poor outcome,” Arceneaux told TIME. “I’ve met the lead engineers for every aspect of our mission, and they know what they’re doing. Inspiration4 is in wonderful hands.”
In a recent interview with the TODAY show, Arceneaux shared that she looks forward to inspiring the kids at St. Jude by showing them everything is possible and to not limit themselves. She also talked about the training she has experienced to prepare for the historic spaceflight and what meaningful things she will take to space, video below.

Childhood cancer survivor @ArceneauxHayley is ready to make history by heading to space. She joins us exclusively to talk about how her all-civilian SpaceX team is training for their big mission. pic.twitter.com/dEPtYkuuOB

— TODAY (@TODAYshow) August 18, 2021

The other two crewmembers are pilot/geoscience professor Dr. Sian Proctor and former Air Force member and data engineer Chris Sembroski. They won a Shift4Shop contest and fundraising raffle in support of St. Jude; TIME made a short video detailing how they won the space tour, linked below. Since their selection, the crew has been hosting multiple fundraising events and activities. Isaacman donated $100 million when he announced the mission, and the Inspiration4 project has raised over $13 million from the public. Most recently, Dr. Proctor shared she raised $20,000 for the hospital via social media. Their goal is to achieve raising an overall total of $200 million that will go directly to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. 

The first all-civilian team of astronauts is headed to orbit. Here’s what to know about the Inspiration4 mission https://t.co/sPyAMWhqlV pic.twitter.com/xPp1PJ9z20

— TIME (@TIME) August 4, 2021

My favorite photos are always the ones of me hanging with my crew. ❤️👩🏾‍🚀🚀@inspiration4x @SpaceX #Space2inspire pic.twitter.com/yhqAG4IqHV

— Dr. Sian “Leo” Proctor (@DrSianProctor) August 12, 2021

Once Crew Dragon is orbiting Earth, the crew will send an inspiring message to St. Jude patients and conduct multiple science research tasks while enjoying marvelous views of our planet for three days. The crew has been training since March and have been sharing their progress through social media. The crew has done a variety of activities to acquire skills and strength to endure the g-forces of spaceflight. They have trained atop the tallest mountains, underwater, learned about the Crew Dragon spacecraft through simulators, experienced weightlessness aboard a GoZeroG aircraft, and even trained aboard fighter jets. “The Inspiration4 crew and an extended group of friends and family enjoyed an amazing weekend of fighter jet training in Bozeman, Montana!” they shared on August 10, “This was an opportunity for the crew to experience another taxing environment where communication and coordination are essential.”

“During a naming ceremony on Sunday, the extended Inspiration4 teams and families bestowed callsigns on Chris, Sian, and Hayley. Introducing: Hanks, Leo, Rook, and Nova,” they shared via Twitter.

The #Inspiration4 crew and an extended group of friends and family enjoyed an amazing weekend of fighter jet training in Bozeman, Montana!

This was an opportunity for the crew to experience another taxing environment where communication and coordination are essential. pic.twitter.com/8aUcc6DPkE

— Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) August 10, 2021

Callsigns acquired.

During a naming ceremony on Sunday, the extended Inspiration4 teams and families bestowed callsigns on Chris, Sian, and Hayley.

Introducing: Hanks, Leo, Rook, and Nova. pic.twitter.com/pr7l3Z2pl8

— Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) August 10, 2021

Let’s go girls ✈️ @DrSianProctor pic.twitter.com/UIa4NJwEjT

— Hayley Arceneaux (@ArceneauxHayley) August 8, 2021

Woohoo!! Thanks everyone for helping me raise $20,000 toward the @inspiration4x @StJude fundraiser!!

I love the @twitter space community and all the support you’ve shown me, my crew, and our cause! ❤️👩🏾‍🚀🚀🌏🐉#Gratitude #Inspiration #community #give #support #Space2inspire pic.twitter.com/XphB5lcmTu

— Dr. Sian “Leo” Proctor (@DrSianProctor) August 11, 2021

All Images Source: Inspiration4 via Twitter