World’s First All-Civilian Mission to Space Will Usher in New Era of Commercial Space Exploration
01 Februar 2021 - 10:05PM
Business Wire
Inspiration4 Mission Will Be Commanded by Tech
Entrepreneur and Pilot Jared Isaacman, Who Donates All Crew Seats
and Invites the Public to Participate
Plans for the world’s first all-civilian mission to space were
announced today from SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, CA. The
mission is being targeted for the fourth quarter of this year and
will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, the 37-year-old founder and
chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments (NYSE:FOUR) and an
accomplished pilot. Named Inspiration4 in recognition of the
four-person crew’s mission to inspire support for St. Jude
Children’s Research Hospital® and send a humanitarian message of
possibility, the journey represents a new era for human spaceflight
and exploration. Isaacman is donating the three mission seats
alongside him to crew members who will be selected to represent the
mission pillars of leadership, hope, generosity and prosperity.
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the full release here:
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Dragon spacecraft. Photo by SpaceX.
Said Isaacman, “Inspiration4 is the realization of a lifelong
dream and a step towards a future in which anyone can venture out
and explore the stars. I appreciate the tremendous responsibility
that comes with commanding this mission and I want to use this
historic moment to inspire humanity while helping to tackle
childhood cancer here on Earth.”
Isaacman and the Inspiration4 crew will undergo commercial
astronaut training by SpaceX on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and
Dragon spacecraft, including a specific focus on orbital mechanics,
operating in microgravity, zero gravity, and other forms of stress
testing. They will receive emergency preparedness training,
spacesuit and spacecraft ingress and egress exercises, as well as
partial- and full-mission simulations. The mission will launch from
historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in
Florida and will be carefully monitored at every step by SpaceX
mission control as the spacecraft orbits the planet every 90
minutes along a customized flight path. Upon conclusion of the
multi-day journey, Dragon will reenter Earth’s atmosphere for a
soft water landing off the coast of Florida.
Isaacman has given St. Jude two seats on the Inspiration4
mission. The first seat is reserved for a St. Jude ambassador with
direct ties to the mission who exemplifies the pillar of Hope as
well as the courageous vision upon which St. Jude was founded -
compassion, unity, equality and inclusion. The second seat will
represent the mission pillar of Generosity. During the month of
February, members of the public can enter for a chance to join the
flight to space and support the lifesaving mission of St. Jude.
Isaacman has committed to give $100 million to St. Jude and is
inviting everyone to join him in attempting to raise upwards of
$200 million or more in support of St. Jude’s multi-billion dollar
expansion aimed to accelerate research advancements and save more
children worldwide. He will also offer additional support to the
St. Jude fundraising effort in the form of other prizes, including
flights in a military jet and flight gear. An accomplished pilot
rated to fly commercial and military aircraft, Isaacman holds
several world records including a Speed-Around-The-World flight to
raise money and awareness for the Make-a-Wish Foundation. He has
flown in over 100 airshows as part of the Black Diamond Jet Team,
dedicating every performance to charitable causes. In 2011,
Isaacman co-founded what would become the world’s largest private
air force, Draken International, to train pilots for the United
States Armed Forces.
“The same year St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital broke
boundaries by opening its doors, the first American orbited the
Earth in 1962,” said Richard C. Shadyac Jr., President and CEO of
ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude.
“From the beginning, St. Jude has been at the forefront of
innovation and inclusion, leading in cancer research, care and
treatment for some of the world’s sickest children regardless of
race, ethnicity, beliefs or a family's ability to pay. This
partnership brings two missions together to create one incredible
moment in time that will make an impact for years to come on the
global effort to cure childhood cancer.”
Isaacman will collaborate with Shift4 Payments to offer the
fourth and final crew seat representing the prosperity mission
pillar to a deserving entrepreneur who utilizes the new Shift4Shop
eCommerce platform, which empowers entrepreneurs to build and grow
successful eCommerce businesses online. Current and new Shift4Shop
customers will have a one-of-a-kind opportunity to enter an online
competition showcasing them and their business. The competition
will be conducted from February 1-28, 2021 and the winner will be
selected by a panel of independent judges.
Shift4 Payments is providing marketing support for the mission
and will leverage one of the biggest popular culture events of the
year, Super Bowl LV this Sunday, to dramatically introduce the
mission and its purpose to the public. A 30-second spot will air
during the first quarter of the Big Game and invite all viewers to
support and be part of this historic journey through the St. Jude
and Shift4Shop programs.
Isaacman concluded: “Today’s announcement is the first step of a
very exciting journey. In the lead-up to launch, we’ll share new
ways to support and follow our mission preparation and execution
with a focus on inspiring and helping others.”
To learn more about Inspiration4, how to support and potentially
join this historic journey to space and the specific conditions of
the promotions, visit www.Inspiration4.com and follow the mission
on social media on Twitter (@inspiration4x), Facebook
(@inspiration4mission), Instagram (@inspiration4) and YouTube
(@Inspiration4) to receive the latest news on mission training and
preparation. Individuals who are interested in learning how to
enter for an opportunity to win one of the two seats being offered
should visit inspiration4.com and review the Official Rules for the
applicable promotion.
About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is leading the way the
world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other
life-threatening diseases. Its purpose is clear: Finding cures.
Saving children.® It is the only National Cancer
Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to
children. Treatments invented at St. Jude have helped push the
overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20 percent to more than
80 percent since the hospital opened more than 50 years ago. St.
Jude won't stop until no child dies from cancer. St. Jude freely
shares the discoveries it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude
means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to
save thousands more children. Families never receive a bill from
St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food – because all a
family should worry about is helping their child live. Join the St.
Jude mission by visiting stjude.org, liking St. Jude on Facebook,
following St. Jude on Twitter, Instagram and subscribing to its
YouTube channel.
About Shift4 Payments
Shift4 Payments (NYSE: FOUR) is a leading provider of integrated
payment processing and technology solutions, delivering a complete
omnichannel ecosystem that extends beyond payments to include a
wide range of commerce-enabling services. The company’s
technologies help power over 350 software providers in numerous
industries, including hospitality, retail, F&B, ecommerce,
lodging, gaming, and many more. The newly launched Shift4Shop
platform offers a turnkey ecommerce experience includes a robust
website builder, product and order management, customer marketing
tools and more. With over 7,000 sales partners, the company
securely processed more than $200 billion in payments volume for
over 200,000 businesses in 2019. For more information, visit
shift4.com.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210201005905/en/
Media Contacts Brian Bianco BCW for Inspiration4
media@inspiration4.com Additional media assets available via
Electronic Press Kit DKC for ALSAC/St. Jude Children’s Research
Hospital Inspiration4@dkcnews.com James Gleeson
media@spacex.com
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