SpaceX creates history, launches first all-civilian crew into Earth's orbit

SpaceX has launched the Inspiration4 mission, with an all-civilian crew, to space today, September 16, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. By launching this mission, SpaceX has made history by sending off four civilians with no space travel experience on an orbital mission.

The launch of the Inspiration4 mission marks the first private mission conducted by SpaceX to orbit. This mission is being headed by Jared Isaacman, a 38-year-old billionaire and entrepreneur, who has financed the entire mission.

This mission marks the first time that a spacecraft has lifted off and has streaked towards orbit with absolutely no professional astronauts, consisting of an all-amateur crew. The four members of the SpaceX all-civilian mission are Jared Isaacman, Sian Proctor, Hayley Arceneaux, and Chris Sembroski.

Liftoff of @Inspiration4X! Go Falcon 9! Go Dragon! pic.twitter.com/NhRXkD4IWg

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 16, 2021

Unique roles have been assigned to each of the crew members aboard the Dragon capsule. Jared Isaacman will be acting as the commissioner of the mission, Sian Proctor is the pilot, Hayley Arceneaux is the medical officer while Chris Sembroski is the mission specialist.

This is the third time that SpaceX is initiating a billionaire-led mission to space. The Dragon capsule is aimed for an altitude of 357 miles (575 kilometers), just beyond the Hubble Space Telescope. This new mission lead by only civilians is supposed to represent diversity in space, according to SpaceX.

Before this, two other billionaire-led space missions were launched by SpaceX, which were Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin. While Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic flew to around 100 km, the Inspiration4 crew will be flying to an altitude of over 500 km.

Talking about the all-civilian mission and its message of diversity in space travel, mission commissioner Jared Isaacman said that this is the first step toward a world where everyday people can go and venture among the stars, as per reports.