Written by: Rishi Boddu

Elon Musk is one of the most brilliant minds and recognizable names this generation has seen. Musk is a South-African born American entrepreneur credited with founding Paypal, Tesla Motors, SpaceX, and several other lesser known companies and innovations. By his twenties, his ideas landed him a multimillion dollar lifestyle, and Musk is currently the second richest person in the entire world. 

His company SpaceX, founded in 2002, works toward making commercial space exploration an affordable reality. SpaceX became well-established within just a few years, earning recognition in the eyes of bigger spaceflight companies such as NASA. The company’s first project was Falcon9, the first privately-owned spacecraft to visit the International Space Station, and was later launched again to complete other tasks such as positioning satellites. The rocket carried a thousand pounds worth of supplies for the astronauts stationed at the ISS. Many of SpaceX’s other aircrafts have also achieved some incredible titles and have broken through new heights in the field of space exploration, but SpaceX’s latest project may outdo all their other ones. On February 1, 2021, SpaceX announced that one of their most recent projects is Inspiration4, the mission to take ordinary civilians to outer space.

Details of the Trip

A short blurb on the SpaceX website revealed that the company plans to launch the mission by the end of 2021. The rocket will take off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center located in Florida. The crew will consist of four members who are tasked to travel into orbit, stay stationed for a couple days, and then make their descent into Earth’s atmosphere for a water landing near the coast of Florida. Obviously, no one would send humans up to space without proper training. The SpaceX website states that “the Inspiration4 crew will receive commercial astronaut training by SpaceX on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft, orbital mechanics, operating in microgravity, zero gravity, and other forms of stress testing. They will go through emergency preparedness training, spacesuit and spacecraft ingress and egress exercises, as well as partial and full mission simulations.” Space X assures that these various drills and training sessions will prepare the crew for any foreseeable future or emergency..

The mission commander is Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments. He is a notable pilot who has been trained to fly both commercial and military aircrafts. Isaacman has managed to set several records in the past and has flown in over a hundred airshows as part of the Black Diamond Jet Team, a civilian aerobatic jet team often performing for charitable causes. All three civilian participants will fly alongside Isaacman on the Dragon, a spacecraft that has been developed under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Over $2 billion dollars was put towards perfecting the capsule. The Dragon is scheduled for a low, multi-day trip which orbits around Earth every 90 minutes “along a customized flight path.” The mission is estimated to take between two to four days but Musk said that the trip is in the hands of Isaacman, so he has the jurisdiction to extend the trip a couple days as well.

Charity and Seats

Isaacman has purchased all four of the seats and will actually be giving away two of the seats as part of a sweepstakes running on the SpaceX website. According to SpaceX, the four seats represent the pillars of Leadership, Hope, Generosity, and Prosperity. The pillar of leadership will be taken on by Jared Isaacman while the pillar of hope has been given to an ambassador from St. Jude’s. The two remaining seats being raffled away are Generosity and Prosperity. There are two separate methods to win these seats, the first being posting an inspirational business story on Twitter to enter the raffle for Prosperity. The business would have to be an eCommerce site launched using Shift4Stop, Isaacman’s product. The second method, to win Generosity, involves supporting St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. The initiative aims to raise a total of $200 million dollars for the cause through these sweepstakes. Entries are valid from February 1 through February 28, 2021 11:59 PM Eastern Time. The requirements to enter are as follows: the participant must be a legal resident of the US, be at least 18 years of age, and be physically and psychologically fit to complete the mission.

Conclusion

Technology has been expanding at a rate faster than ever before and humanity has been exploring new heights not just on our own planet but even in space. Elon Musk and his company SpaceX are a perfect example of the greatness that can be achieved when combining intelligence with STEM. Even a couple years ago, it would have been considered insane to take regular civilians into outer space, but we continue to push through boundaries. 

References and Sources

Chang, K. (2021, February 01). To get on this spacex flight, you don’t have to be rich, just lucky. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/science/spacex-jared-isaacman.html

Elon Musk. (2021, January 08). Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.biography.com/business-figure/elon-musk

SpaceX to Launch INSPIRATION4 mission to orbit – SpaceX – updates. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.spacex.com/updates/inspiration-4-mission/index.html

Spacex. (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/topic/SpaceX

Stimac, V. (2021, February 01). SpaceX announces FIRST All-Civilian mission to Space, Inspiration4. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/valeriestimac/2021/02/01/spacex-announces-first-all-civilian-mission-to-space-inspiration4/?sh=2c43217c1cf7