SpaceX Announces Plans to Send All-Civilian Crew to Space

SpaceX has announced their plans to launch their first all-civilian crew into space and there’s still one seat left. The four-person mission named ‘Inspiration4’ will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, a tech entrepreneur, CEO, and pilot. He donated 2 seats to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, one of which will be taken by an employee. The second seat will be given to the winner of a public online raffle. The final seat will go to an entrepreneur who submits a video to Isaacman’s platform showcasing their business and how they use his company’s technology. Prior to the launch, which is scheduled for “no earlier than the fourth quarter of this year,” the crew will undergo astronaut training. The spacecraft will launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It will be a “multi-day journey orbiting earth every 90 minutes along a customized flight path” and “will be carefully monitored at every step by SpaceX Mission Control.” The trip will end when the spacecraft splashes down in waters off the coast of Florida.