BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The countdown to SpaceX’s first all-civilian mission is underway on Florida’s Space Coast.
On Sunday, SpaceX and the Inspiration4 crew completed a full dry dress rehearsal of launch day.
Dry Dress complete! It’s been a lot of hard work and long hours put in to make this happen. We are so ready for this! @inspiration4x https://t.co/2SLed4r3DM
— Chris “Hanks” Sembroski (@ChrisSembroski) September 13, 2021
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“(It) means they go out to the pad, the four crew members,” said Dr. Ken Kremer of Space UpClose. “They get in the capsule, they’re all suited up and they run through (a) practice countdown through the moment of ignition, but there’s no propellant on board.”
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The Inspiration4 crew is scheduled to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday night on a three-day mission. The five-hour launch window opens at 8:02 p.m.
“They are going higher than anyone has gone since the Hubble Space Coast missions back in 2009,” Kremer said.
The mission will be commanded by pilot and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments. He is using the mission to raise awareness and money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
See our photo gallery below:
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On the fundraising mission, Isaacman will be joined by mission pilot Dr. Sian Proctor, a geoscientist and former astronaut candidate; medical officer Haley Areceneaux, a childhood cancer survivor and physician assistant; and mission specialist Chris Sembroski, a U.S. Air Force veteran and aerospace worker.
An observation window will allow the crew a full view of their surroundings.
The crew will perform research while on board.
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