SpaceX's first-ever all-civilian space flight scheduled for take off on September 15

In a series for 'firsts', tech mogul Elon Musk-owned SpaceX has officially announced its first-ever all-civilian space flight which has been scheduled for take-off on September 15. The boosters will fire all its cylinders to lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre on Meritt Island in Florida.  

Named Inspiration4, the crew for SpaceX's this orbital mission has a diverse portfolio. The cabin to be boarded by four members includes billionaire tech entrepreneur and pilot Jared Issacman, St. Jude physicians assistant and cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux, data engineer Chris Sembroski and geoscientist, science communicator and commercial astronaut Sian Proctor. 

Why this flight?

The mission is partly a philanthropic one and has ambitions of benefitting the St. Jude Children's hospital. Reportedly, the crew intends to raise over Rs1,429 crore ($200 million) for the cause over the three-day mission. "St. Jude's mission is not about rockets or space exploration. It's about treating some of the most heart-wrenching conditions that any parent could imagine. And if we're going to make advances up there, in space, then we have the obligation to do the same down here on Earth," said Issacman, who will be donating an additional $100 million for the same. 

Moreover, the members will also be conducting several experiments in orbit that will determine human limitations in space. The experiments to be conducted will include monitoring ECG activity of the astronauts, heart rate and rhythms, sleep, movement and blood oxygen levels. Besides, the cognitive and behavioural performance of the crew members will also be tested. 

When & where to watch the lift-off?

Given the conditions are favourable for lift-off, interested viewers can catch the live action on streaming service Netflix's YouTube channel. Interestingly, Netflix has been assigned to amplify the pre-mission excitement as it will release two episodes documenting the crew's preparation on September 6 followed by two episodes on September 13. Lastly, it will stream the return journey which is also the final episode on September 30.

This development follows SpaceX's recent success where it became the first private space company to carry a group of four astronauts including three from NASA Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Japanese Space Agency's Soichi Noguchi to the International Space Station (ISS) back on November 16, 2020.

Image Credit: PTI/AP