UPDATES:
Successful launch to space! Inspiration4 in orbit.
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Space X is preparing to launch a crew of four civilians into orbit from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center just after 8:00 PM EDT tonight.
Inspiration4 plans to fly higher than any American flight since the Space Shuttle, traveling above the orbit of both the International Space Station and the Hubble Telescope.
Official SpaceX live feed above.
NASA Spaceflight afficionados live feed below:
From SpaceX:
SpaceX is targeting a five-hour launch window on Wednesday, September 15, opening at 8:02 p.m. EDT (Thursday, September 16 at 00:02 UTC) for launch of the Inspiration4 mission – the world’s first all-civilian human spaceflight to orbit – aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Approximately three days after liftoff, Dragon and the Inspiration4 crew will return to Earth and splash down at one of several possible landing sites off the Florida coast.
SpaceX’s webcast for launch of the Inspiration4 mission will go live ~4 hours before liftoff.
Inspiration4 is commanded by Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments and an accomplished pilot and adventurer. Joining him are Medical Officer Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and pediatric cancer survivor; Mission Specialist Chris Sembroski, an Air Force veteran and aerospace data engineer; and Mission Pilot Dr. Sian Proctor, a geoscientist, entrepreneur, and trained pilot.
Mission Objectives
RAISE $200M FOR ST JUDE
The Inspiration4 mission is part of Jared’s ambitious fundraising goal to give hope to all kids with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Visit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to learn how you can help the Inspiration4 crew reach their $200M fundraising goal.
STUDY THE HUMAN BODY IN SPACE
During their multi-day journey in orbit, the Inspiration4 crew will conduct scientific research designed to advance human health on Earth and during future long-duration spaceflights.
Dragon
Once in flight, Dragon will travel to an apogee of approximately 575 kilometers — flying farther than any human spaceflight since the Hubble missions. Dragon’s new cupola observation dome will be the largest contiguous space window ever flown. The three-layer observation dome, which was extensively tested and qualified for flight in six months, replaces the mechanism used on Dragon’s previous flight to dock to the International Space Station.