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Inspiration4

An artist's rendering of Resilience for Inspiration4, with its nose cone open, revealing the cupola.
Mission type	Space tourism
Operator	SpaceX
COSPAR ID	2021-084A
SATCAT no.	49220
Website	Inspiration4
Mission duration	2 days, 23 hours, 4 minutes
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Crew Dragon Resilience
Manufacturer	SpaceX
Launch mass	12,519 kg (27,600 lb)
Landing mass	9,616 kg (21,200 lb)
Crew
Members	Jared Isaacman Sian Proctor Hayley Arceneaux Christopher Sembroski
Start of mission
Launch date	16 September 2021, 00:02:56 UTC
Rocket	Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1062.3)
Launch site	Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A
Contractor	SpaceX
End of mission
Recovered by	GO Searcher
Landing date	18 September 2021, 23:06:58 UTC
Landing site	Atlantic Ocean
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Altitude	585 km (364 mi)
Inclination	51.6°
Period	96.2 minutes
Inspiration4 (left) and SpaceX (right) insignia File:Inspiration4 Crew Photo.jpg (L–R) Sembroski, Proctor, Isaacman and ArceneauxCrew Dragon flights← SpaceX Crew-2SpaceX Crew-3 →

Inspiration4 (stylized as Inspirati④n) was a human spaceflight mission operated by SpaceX on behalf of Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman. The mission launched on 16 September 2021, at 00:02:56 UTC from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A, atop a Falcon 9 launch vehicle, placing the Dragon capsule into low Earth orbit and ended on 18 September 2021 at 23:06:58 UTC.

The mission had successfully aimed to complete the first orbital spaceflight with only private citizens aboard, as part of a charitable effort on behalf of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. The four crew members (Hayley Arceneaux, Christopher Sembroski, Sian Proctor, and Isaacman) remained aboard Crew Dragon Resilience, which was outfitted with a cupola unique to this flight in place of a docking hatch.

The mission overlaps with the 55th anniversary of Gemini 11 in September 1966 which had an apogee of approximately 1,368 km (850 mi), the highest Earth orbit ever reached on a crewed flight. The Inspiration4 flight is at an orbital altitude of approximately 585 km (364 mi), the highest achieved since 1999 and 5th highest Earth orbital human spaceflight overall. It concluded with the first crewed splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean since Apollo 9.

Mission and crew

Inspiration4 is the first human spaceflight to orbit Earth with only private citizens on board. The mission promoted and raised money for the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The crew and mission intended to raise upwards of US$200 million to expand St. Jude's childhood cancer research. Inspiration4 is led by Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman, an experienced pilot with qualification in military jets.

Isaacman procured the flight and its four seats from SpaceX, and donated two of the seats to St. Jude. Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at the hospital and a survivor of bone cancer, was selected by the hospital to board the flight. St. Jude raffled the second seat as part of a campaign to raise US$200 million for the hospital, termed St. Jude Mission: Inspired. An undisclosed person from Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University ultimately won the raffle, and decided for personal reasons to give the seat to his friend, U.S. Air Force veteran Christopher Sembroski, who was also one of 72,000 entrants in the raffle.

Entrepreneur Sian Proctor was selected by Shift4 Payments to board the flight, through a competition modeled after Shark Tank that rewarded the best business idea to make use of Shift4's commerce solutions. The panelists in the competition included Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Fast Company editor Stephanie Mehta, former NASA engineer Mark Rober, and Bar Rescue host Jon Taffer.

This is the first spacecraft to orbit with an all rookie crew since Shenzhou 7 in 2008. The last time NASA launched an all rookie crew was STS-2 in 1981 (STS-2 Commander Joe Engle was a NASA space flight rookie, but had been awarded U.S. Air Force Astronaut wings for exceeding 50 mi (80 km) while flying the X-15 rocket plane).

All four crew members received commercial astronaut training by SpaceX, which encompassed lessons in orbital mechanics, operating in a microgravity environment, stress testing, emergency preparedness training, and mission simulations.

Position	Astronaut
Mission commander	Jared Isaacman First spaceflight
Pilot	Sian Proctor First spaceflight
Medical officer and Mission specialist	Hayley Arceneaux First spaceflight
Mission specialist	Christopher Sembroski First spaceflight

Spacecraft

The Inspiration4 mission is using the Crew Dragon Resilience. This is the capsule's second flight, following its use for Crew-1. It also marked the 4th crewed flight of a Crew Dragon. The spacecraft's docking adapter, normally used to dock with the International Space Station, was replaced for this mission by a single monolithic multi-layer domed plexiglass window inspired by the Cupola module, allowing 360° views outside Resilience's nose.

The cupola is protected during launch and re-entry by the spacecraft's retractable nosecone, which also houses a custom camera enabling photography of the vehicle's interior and exterior during flight. The cupola is removable, so that Resilience can easily be reconfigured for missions in the future that require docking, following the conclusion of Inspiration4. Four Draco thrusters located on the spacecraft's nose necessitated the installation of four heat shield tiles on the cupola's exterior, which protect the plexiglass dome from engine exhaust during propulsive maneuvers.

Flight

Resilience launched on 16 September 2021 at 00:02:56 UTC (15 September 2021 at 20:02:56 EDT), atop Falcon 9 Block 5 booster B1062 from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A. It was the third flight of this booster. The spacecraft was launched into an inclination of 51.6°. Following three days in orbit, the spacecraft splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean. With Resilience in orbit, three Dragon spacecraft were simultaneously orbiting Earth, as Endeavour flies the Crew-2 mission and C208 flies the CRS-23 mission. Inspiration4 is the first crewed orbital spaceflight since STS-125 in 2009 to not visit a space station.

Each crew member was assigned an individual call sign for communications. Isaacman's call sign is "Rook", while Proctor's is "Leo", Arcenaux's is "Nova", and Sembroski's is "Hanks." Jude, the golden retriever dog pouch, the Inspiration4 crew's "zero-g indicator", was found floating at the end of a tether strapped to Hayley Arceneaux, after reaching Earth orbit on 16 September 2021. Jude is wearing a spacesuit. For this particular mission, the crew selected a plush dog that represents the therapy dogs employed by St. Jude.

The mission plans to include ultrasounds, microbe samples and a variety of in-flight health experiments (measure fluid shifts, record ECG activity, blood oxygen levels, heart rates, etc.) on the human bodies of ordinary citizens who have not been previously carefully screened and exhaustively trained as professional astronauts.

Orbital altitude

The flight plan aimed for an altitude of at least 575 km (357 mi), and reached an altitude of 585 km (364 mi), a height surpassing STS-125 in 2009 which had an apogee of 578 km (359 mi), and the highest crewed spaceflight since STS-103 in 1999 with an apogee of 610 km (380 mi). STS-31, the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, at 615 km (382 mi) was the highest of the Space Shuttle program and third highest ever behind only two missions of the Gemini Program, Gemini 10 and Gemini 11 in 1966 with apogees of 756 km (470 mi) and 1,368 km (850 mi), respectively, making Inspiration4 the fifth highest Earth orbital crewed spaceflight in history - only 10 Apollo launches went beyond Earth's orbit. Achieving this altitude will pose different radiation levels than those found on the International Space Station. The investigation of the effects of spaceflight on human health and performance is done in collaboration with SpaceX, the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at Baylor College of Medicine, and investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Media coverage

Media coverage of the mission has been widely positive, noting its charitable focus, duration and altitude achieved. The mission is being documented as it happens in a five-episode docuseries entitled Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space, released on the subscription streaming service Netflix in September 2021.

See also

• Axiom Mission 1
• Space Adventures Crew Dragon mission
• Space tourism

Notes

1. 15 September 2021, 20:02:56 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
2. Many sources use the term "all-civilian". The Washington Post clarifies its use of this term in one of its headlines when it later says "comprised entirely of civilians – nongovernment astronauts".

References

1. "Four private citizens ride SpaceX rocket into orbit on historic mission". Spaceflight Now. 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
2. Inspiration4 (30 March 2021). Meet The First All-Civilian Space Crew | Inspiration4 Livestream. Retrieved 30 March 2021 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. ^ "SpaceX prepares to send first all-civilian crew into orbit". Reuters. 13 September 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
4. ^ Davenport, Christian (13 September 2021). "They "could be our neighbors", and they're going to space. SpaceX gets ready to fly the Inspiration4 crew". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
5. Davenport, Christian (15 September 2021). "SpaceX makes history by launching Inspiration4, first all-civilian crew, to orbit". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 16 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021. The Inspiration4 mission may be the first time a spaceflight crew is comprised entirely of civilians – nongovernment astronauts. There has been a long history of ordinary citizens going to space. In fact, that was NASA's goal at the beginning of the space shuttle era – to fly regular people on a routine basis
6. Davenport, Christian (25 February 2021). "As private companies erode government's hold on space travel, NASA looks to open a new frontier". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
7. Chow, Denise (1 February 2021). "SpaceX announces first mission to space with all-civilian crew". NBC News. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
8. Burghardt, Thomas (1 February 2021). "SpaceX announces Inspiration4, all-civilian space mission in support of St Jude's Hospital". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
9. Segran, Elizabeth (13 April 2015). "Meet The Fighter-Jet-Flying 32-Year-Old On Top Of The Payments Industry". Fast Company. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
10. Tognini, Giacomo (7 October 2020). "Meet The New Billionaire Who Dropped Out of High School and Flies Fighter Jets for Fun". Forbes. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
11. ^ Dunn, Marcia (22 February 2021). "Bone cancer survivor to join billionaire on SpaceX flight". AP News. Archived from the original on 22 February 2021. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
12. ^ Leinfelder, Andrea (1 February 2021). "SpaceX, tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman invite the public to apply for ride into space". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
13. "New fundraising challenge tied to Inspiration4 launches today for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital" (Press release). St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
14. Muhlstein, Julie (18 April 2021). "Everett's own spaceman thrilled to join all-civilian mission". The Everett Herald. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
15. Cuthbertson, Anthony (2 April 2021). "SpaceX reveals civilian passengers for trip into space this year". The Independent. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
16. Sheetz, Michael (15 September 2021). "SpaceX's historic Inspiration4 launch reaches orbit successfully carrying private crew". CNBC. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
17. ^ Chang, Kenneth (1 February 2021). "To Get on This SpaceX Flight, You Don't Have to Be Rich, Just Lucky". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
18. Bianco, Brian (24 February 2021). "Inspiration4 Reveals Panel of Influential Judges to Select Entrepreneur to Join First All-Civilian Mission to Space" (Press release). Business Wire. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
19. Stimac, Valerie (1 February 2021). "SpaceX Announces First All-Civilian Mission To Space, Inspiration4". Forbes. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
20. ^ Sheetz, Michael (30 March 2021). "Meet the full crew of the Inspiration4 mission flying with SpaceX in September". CNBC. Archived from the original on 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
21. Berger, Eric (1 February 2021). "SpaceX announces first "free flyer" human spaceflight". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
22. Christian Davenport (15 September 2021). "SpaceX makes history by launching Inspiration4, first all-civilian crew, to orbit". The Washington Post.
23. Malik, Tariq (3 September 2021). "SpaceX shows off its huge dome window on Dragon for private Inspiration4 spaceflight". SPACE.com. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
24. ^ "SpaceX Inspiration4 astronauts reveal Dragon's "cupola" in the flesh". Teslarati. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
25. Kan, Michael (16 September 2021). "Inspiration 4 Successfully Blasts Off for the First All-Civilian Orbital Space Flight". pcmag.com. PC Mag. Retrieved 16 September 2021. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= requires |archive-url= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
26. Thompson, Amy (16 September 2021). "SpaceX launches four civilians into orbit on historic Inspiration4 flight". Space.com. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
27. "SpaceX to Launch Inspiration4 Mission to Orbit". SpaceX. 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
28. Williams, Matt (16 September 2021). "SpaceX Launches Four Civilians to Space with Inspiration4!". Universe Today. Retrieved 17 September 2021.
29. Thompson, Amy (15 September 2021). "Inspiration4's call signs: The crew of SpaceX's all-civilian mission have special nicknames". Space.com. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
30. "Inspiration4 "space puppy" doubles as zero-g indicator and fundraiser". Space.com. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
31. . Space.com. 18 September 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2021. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
32. Thompson, Amy (15 September 2021). "Inspiration4 crew planning ultrasounds, microbe samples and more to understand health during flight". Space.com. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
33. Gohd, Chelsea (1 September 2021). "Inspiration4 astronauts to conduct health research on private SpaceX mission". Space.com. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
34. https://www.vox.com/recode/22675858/watch-space-inspiration4-launch-product-placement
35. https://aliennewsletter.substack.com/p/alien-newsletter-10-the-simultaneous
36. Petski, Denise (3 August 2021). "Netflix Greenlights 'Inspiration4' All Civilian Space Mission Docuseries From 'The Last Dance' Team". Deadline Hollywood.

External links

• Official website: Inspiration4.com
• Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space

v t e SpaceX Dragon 1 and Dragon 2
CCP COTS CRS
Spacecraft	C100 C106 C108 C201 DragonFly C204 C205 C206 Endeavour C207 Resilience C208 C209 C210 Endurance C211 C212 Freedom C213
Hardware	Falcon 9 1.0 1.1 v1.2 Full Thrust Block 5 Draco SuperDraco
Missions	Demo flights Dragon test flight COTS-1 COTS-2 Pad Abort Test Demo-1 In-Flight Abort Test Demo-2 ISS logistics CRS-1 CRS-2 CRS-3 CRS-4 CRS-5 CRS-6 CRS-7† CRS-8 CRS-9 CRS-10 CRS-11 CRS-12 CRS-13 CRS-14 CRS-15 CRS-16 CRS-17 CRS-18 CRS-19 CRS-20 CRS-21 CRS-22 CRS-23 CRS-24 CRS-25 CRS-26 CRS-27 CRS-28 CRS-29 CRS-30 CRS-31 CRS-32 Crewed missions Demo-2 Crew-1 Crew-2 Inspiration4 Crew-3 Axiom-1 Crew-4 Crew-5 Crew-6 Axiom-2 Crew-7 Axiom-3 Crew-8 Polaris Dawn Crew-9 Fram2 Crew-10 Axiom-4 Polaris-2 Vast-1
Ongoing spaceflights in underline Italics indicates future missions Symbol † indicates failed missions

v t e Space tourism
Organizations	Active Axiom Space Bigelow Aerospace Blue Origin Airbus D&S Mojave Aerospace Ventures Orbital Technologies PDAS Redwire Sierra Nevada Corporation Space Adventures SpaceX The Spaceship Company Virgin Galactic CAS Space ARCA Association of Autonomous Astronauts Astronaute Club Européen Commercial Spaceflight Federation Copenhagen Suborbitals Space Frontier Foundation Space Tourism Society Defunct Armadillo Aerospace Canadian Arrow Golden Spike Company MirCorp Orion Span PlanetSpace RocketShip Tours Space Island Group (Space Island Project) XCOR Aerospace
Vehicles	Current Soyuz Dragon 2 New Shepard SpaceShipTwo Future New Glenn SpaceShip III Starliner Starship
Living in space	Commercialization of space Space colonization Space medicine Space settlement Space station Suborbital spaceplane
Space competitions	America's Space Prize Ansari X Prize Google Lunar X Prize Space elevator competitions
Space tourists	Past Dennis Tito Mark Shuttleworth Gregory Olsen Anousheh Ansari Charles Simonyi Richard Garriott Guy Laliberté Oliver Daemen Jared Isaacman Sian Proctor Hayley Arceneaux Christopher Sembroski Yusaku Maezawa Yozo Hirano Larry Connor Mark Pathy Eytan Stibbe John Shoffner
Space tourism missions	Past Inspiration4 Blue Origin NS-16 Blue Origin NS-18 Blue Origin NS-19 Blue Origin NS-20 Blue Origin NS-21 Blue Origin NS-22 Galactic 02 Galactic 03 Galactic 04 Galactic 05 Galactic 06 Axiom-1 Axiom-2 Polaris Dawn Cancelled dearMoon
Related	Axiom Station Tourism on the Moon Tourism on Mars Haven-1

• Spacecraft launched in 2021
• 2021 in the United States
• Orbital space tourism missions
• SpaceX Dragon 2
• SpaceX human spaceflights