CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. — SpaceX’s first all-civilian mission successfully lifted off from launch complex 39-A at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday evening.
See the launch again in the video below:
Liftoff of @Inspiration4X! Go Falcon 9! Go Dragon! pic.twitter.com/NhRXkD4IWg
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 16, 2021
The Inspiration 4 mission was commanded by pilot and billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments.
“From the beginning, Inspiration 4 has set out to inspire the world as to what is possible in space, but also what we can accomplish here on Earth,” Isaacman said.
PHOTOS: Inspiration4 successfully launches from Space Coast
Isaacman said he’s using the Inspiration4 mission to raise awareness and money for St. Jude Research Hospital.
Isaacman is joined on the historic flight by medical officer Hayley Arceneaux, a childhood cancer survivor and physician’s assistant, mission specialist Chris Sembroski, a U.S. Air Force veteran and aerospace worker and Dr. Sian Procter, a geoscientist and former NASA astronaut candidate.
READ: Inspiration4 launch: Here’s how to watch
The crew will be conducting medical research during their mission, which will take them 575 kilometers about the Earth’s surface. It marks the highest humans have gone into orbit since the Hubble servicing mission.
Once the crew entered the Dragon, teams will still need to conduct a number of additional checks before the launch director gives the go-ahead to begin fueling the rocket.
READ: All suited up: Inspiration4 crew completes full dry dress rehearsal ahead of historic launch
The five-hour launch window is set to open at 8:02 p.m. Wednesday.
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