Launch Date Set for SpaceX Inspiration4 Private Mission
A launch date has been set for the first all-private mission to space. The Inspriation4 mission is scheduled to launch September 14th from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL.
“The crew of Inspiration4 is eager to use our mission to help make a better future for those who will launch in the years and decades to come.”
Jared Isaacman, commander of the Inspiration4 mission.
Teams from SpaceX and Inspiration4 met last week at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California to evaluate the readiness of the Falcon 9 rocket, Dragon spacecraft, ground systems, recovery assets, crew training, and other key elements of SpaceX’s human spaceflight system for Inspiration4 – the historic first all-civilian human spaceflight mission to orbit. With the conclusion of the Flight Readiness Review, teams are proceeding toward a targeted launch on Wednesday, September 15 UTC (September 14 EDT). A backup launch date has been set for Thursday, September 16 UTC (September 15 EDT). Both 24-hour launch windows start at 12:00 a.m. Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
Approximately three days before liftoff, SpaceX will narrow down the launch window to five hours based upon weather conditions at the launch site, along the ascent corridor, and at landing locations off the coasts of Florida for a safe return of the crew and splashdown a few days later.
The Inspiration4 crew – consisting of Mission Commander Jared Isaacman, Mission Pilot Dr. Sian Proctor, Medical Officer Hayley Arceneaux, and Mission Specialist Chris Sembroski – arrived in Florida on Thursday, September 9 to begin final preparations for their mission.
“The crew of Inspiration4 is eager to use our mission to help make a better future for those who will launch in the years and decades to come,” said Jared Isaacman, commander of the Inspiration4 mission. “In all of human history, fewer than 600 humans have reached space. We are proud that our flight will help influence all those who will travel after us and look forward to seeing how this mission will help shape the beginning of a new era for space exploration.”
The three-day mission will target an orbit of about 357-miles, flying farther from Earth than any human spaceflight since the Hubble Space Telescope repair missions. Inspiration4’s goal is to inspire humanity and raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Since the March 2021 announcement, the Inspiration4 crew has focused extensively on mission training and preparation, spending the past six months completing a wide range of training activities including centrifuge training, Dragon simulations, observations of other SpaceX launch operations, Zero-G plane training, altitude training and additional classroom, simulation and medical testing. This focused preparation was essential in team development and being ready to execute their role as the first commercial crew to orbit the Earth.
(Image provided with Inspiration4 news release)