SpaceX Inspiration4: First Fully-Civilian Crew to Make History Sept. 15

[Hamartia Antidote]

SpaceX Inspiration4: First Fully-Civilian Crew to Make History in Sept. 15, A Month Away from Launch

SpaceX's Inspiration 4 is the first fully-civilian crew to go to space, without the help of any professional astronauts; making their flight in September 15.

www.techtimes.com

SpaceX's Inspiration4 would soon launch into history and orbit, bringing the first fully commercial crew that would go to space, without the presence of an astronaut. Now they are still civilians, but upon reaching orbit, they would be known as astronauts.

History is about to unfold in the coming month, as Inspiration4 is set to board the Crew Dragon and fly on September 15.

While SpaceX is currently busy with its Full-Stack of Starship and Super Heavy Booster, it does not forget its prior commitment to sending the commercial crew to space.

The Inspiration4 mission would be the first venture of SpaceX into a fully civilian crew, meaning that none of the people here are space professionals which trained under NASA to get a license or certification. The background of these people is diverse and have no prior experience with regard to space.

SpaceX has trained them to ready their minds and bodies as they venture to space, but that is incomparable to the real experience that would take place. The all-civilian mission to orbit was orchestrated by SpaceX, and it would make use of the Crew Dragon to bring these participants to space on September 15.

Note that this is different from NASA's Commercial Crew, as it would use real astronauts, and the only commercial aspect here are the private companies that have been under contract.

Who are the Crew Members?

(Photo : Inspiration4 Official Press Release)
SpaceX's Inspiration4 is set to fly on September 15, aboard the Crew Dragon, for the all civilian flight which would be the first among all space companies.
Joining the SpaceX Inspiration4 crew are people that have applied for the program and randomly got selected for the mission.

It includes Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Dr. Sian Proctor, and Chris Sembroski. One of which is a billionaire, a cancer survivor, an educator and entrepreneur, and lastly, an Air Force veteran, respectively. These people have applied and were chosen for the mission, with Jared Isaacman leading the bunch.

Is this Safe?
There is always a 50-50 chance for astronauts going to space, as a lot of unprecedented accidents or happenings might happen with the spacecraft itself. These dangers do not include any personal reasons like health or mental breakdowns, as well as natural occurrences like colliding with different objects.

Nonetheless, SpaceX's Crew Dragon has already proven itself safe and trusted, as it brought different astronauts for NASA's Commercial Crew to and from the International Space Station. These participants were also trained for several months now, to anticipate real space conditions.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

SpaceX's first all-civilian spaceflight launch date set, will orbit around Earth for 3 days

SpaceX has announced a targeted launch date for later this month for the world's first all-civilian spaceflight, which will orbit the Earth for three days.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

SpaceX's Dragon Cupola Window Dome Looks Utterly Mind-Blowing

SpaceX promised a breathtaking view of Earth from its new Crew Dragon, and astronauts from the upcoming Inspiration4 mission have revealed just how that super-exclusive…

www.slashgear.com

SpaceX promised a breathtaking view of Earth from its new Crew Dragon, and astronauts from the upcoming Inspiration4 mission have revealed just how that super-exclusive window on the world will look. Set to be the first all-civilian mission to orbit, Inspiration4 will be groundbreaking in a number of ways, though it’s the high-tech porthole SpaceX has designed which could be the most exciting feature.

So far, the Dragon spacecraft which SpaceX has used for resupply missions to the International Space Station has been outfitted with a docking system at its nose. That’s required to connect with the orbiting research platform, and allow cargo to be loaded and unloaded.

The Crew Dragon Resilience which the Inspiration4 astronauts will fly aboard, however, isn’t going to dock, and so SpaceX has prepared something unique. The Dragon Cupola is a toughened transparent hemisphere, allowing for an incredible view of space. It’s protected during launch and reentry with a hinged nosecone.

A look at Dragon’s Cupola, which will provide our Inspiration4 astronauts with incredible views of Earth from orbit!
The crew visited the flight-hardware Cupola in California before it was shipped to Florida for integration with Dragon Resilience. pic.twitter.com/9ivMZrS1ip
— Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) September 1, 2021

SpaceX showed off renders of the design back in March, with CEO Elon Musk describing it as “probably most “in space” you could possibly feel by being in a glass dome.”

Inspiration4’s four-strong crew – Commander Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski, and Dr. Sian Proctor – had a chance to see the flight hardware version of the Cupola in California. While the backdrop to their photos may be virtual now, eventually they’ll be able to poke their heads into the glass dome and look out at the Earth – and space around it – after it’s integrated with Crew Dragon Resilience.

That version of the spacecraft already has some miles under its figurative belt. It was used for the NASA Crew-1 mission back in November 2020, docking autonomously with the ISS as part of SpaceX’s first operational crewed flight demonstration. After safely returning to Earth, SpaceX has been refurbishing the spacecraft for the Inspiration4 mission.

That’s currently scheduled to launch on September 15, 2021. Crew Dragon Resilience will be mounted atop a Falcon 9 rocket, and blast off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. While the final destination isn’t the ISS, the spacecraft is expected to spend several days in orbit before returning to Earth.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

SpaceX's Inspiration4 all-civilian spaceflight: Here's what to know

The five-hour launch window opens Wednesday (Sept. 15) at 8:02 p.m. EDT.

www.space.com

Inspiration4 is set to blast off during a 24-hour launch window that opens on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m. EDT (midnight Sept. 16 GMT). Mission officials will announce a more exact launch time in the days leading up to the launch.

Typically, launch times are subject to things such as space traffic and the weather at both the launching site and any emergency sites nearby. Like other Crew Dragon launches, Inspiration4 will go to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. But while other Crew Dragons have flown to the International Space Station, the Inspiration4 mission will not rendezvous with another spacecraft on this orbital mission.

The launch will take place from NASA's historic Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Sept. 14. SpaceX leases Launch Complex 39A from NASA and has modified the pad for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches.

Pad 39A's most famous launch was the Apollo 11 debut moon-landing effort of July 1969, but it also was used throughout the Apollo and space shuttle programs for crewed missions. The space shuttle program retired in 2011, and SpaceX signed a 20-year lease for the pad in April 2014.

Spectators wishing to view the launch at NASA's Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex will need to purchase tickets online in advance. For a list of other good places nearby to watch the launch for free, check out NASA's launch viewing tips here.

A detailed timeline for mission activities has yet to be released on the Inspiration4 website, but we do have some clarity about when the official launch time will be figured out, and backup opportunities.

The launch time of Sept. 15 opens at 8 p.m. EDT (or 1200 GMT Sept. 16) and will last for 24 hours, according to Inspiration4 mission updates.

"Approximately three days before liftoff, SpaceX will narrow down the launch window to five hours based upon weather conditions at the launch site, along the ascent corridor, and at landing locations off the coasts of Florida for a safe return of the crew and splashdown a few days later," a Sept. 3 mission update stated.

The splashdown is scheduled three days after the launch, and as with previous Crew Dragon flights, the spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida so that the crew and science samples can be swiftly and easily returned to the NASA Kennedy Space Center.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit, is targeted to launch no earlier than 8:02 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 15, 2021

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

Now at t-minus 3 hours...so on the way to the pad.

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

20 minutes

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

10 minutes

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

SpaceX Crew Dragon now in orbit!

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1438359359898066944