World’s Richest Man Announces First Commercial Flight to Space
Elon Musk's SpaceX Announces 2021 Launch of World's First All-Commercial Mission to Orbit
SpaceX has announced the first all-commercial astronaut mission to orbit, which marks an objectively awesome milestone for the expansion of space travel.
Per a press release shared on Monday, SpaceX is targeting "no earlier than" the fourth quarter of 2021 for the Falcon 9 launch of Inspiration4 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA'S Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Billionaire Jared Isaacman, the founder of Shift4 Payments, is giving away the three seats alongside him to "individuals from the general public" whose information will be unveiled shortly.
One spot, per an NBC News report, has already been set aside for a St. Jude Children's Research Hospital ambassador.
Meanwhile, a second spot will go to a member of the general public as part of the mission's aim of raising money for St. Jude, to which Isaacman has already pledged a reported $100 million.
And for the final spot, an entrepreneur who uses the Shift4 eCommerce platform will be chosen. A panel of judges will select the winner later this month.
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"It's like when America went to the moon in '69—it wasn't just a few people, humanity went to the moon," SpaceX founder Elon Musk said of the mission's historical importance.
"We all went there with them. And I think it's something similar here."