SpaceX's Inspiration4 to carry first-ever NFT song to space; ukulele, TIME magazine too

Elon Musk-owned SpaceX has taken the excitement for its upcoming mission Inspiration4 to the next level as the Falcon 9 rocket, carrying four astronauts, will be carrying a one-of-a-kind payload. Ready for take-off next week, the company’s first-ever all-civilian flight will take rock band Kings of Leon’s unreleased album among other things, as per media reports. The launch is scheduled for September 15 from the Kennedy Space Centre on Merritt Island in Florida.  

One-of-a-kind payload

The launch will see the first-ever minted Non-fungible token (NFT) song created by the rock band 'Kings of Leon', which will be titled 'Time in Disguise'. NFT songs are the ones that are created by artists and stored through blockchain technology. Any stuff like trading cards or even artwork stored in blockchains can be called NFT. Besides, astronauts will also carry souvenirs like a ukulele designed by music company Martin Guitar, that will be played in space by one of the crew members Chris Sembroski. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Math toys also known as STEM toys are also part of the payload, which are the essentials that astronauts carry to outer space. The astronauts would also be taking along the previous edition of the TIME magazine that had featured all four crew members on their cover page. Media sources reported that the magazine will be autographed by the returnees after SpaceX’s Dragon capsule touches down on Earth. Since the mission is a fundraiser, every single thing carried aboard during the three-day orbital mission will be auctioned to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Hospital. The fund-raising auctions began on September 9 and will be on till November, media sources said. 

Inspiration4 mission

The mission’s prime objective is benefitting the St. Jude Children's hospital. Reportedly, the crew aims to raise over Rs 1,429 crore ($200 million) for the cause, from the auctions over the payload. One of the crew members, Jared Issacman had said earlier that St. Jude's mission is not about rockets or space exploration. He emphasised that it's about treating some of the most heart-wrenching conditions that any parent could imagine. Besides, he also reminded people of the obligation to do the same down here on Earth if we're going to make advances in space. Several experiments including monitoring of ECG activity of the astronauts, heart rate and rhythms, sleep, movement and blood oxygen levels will also be conducted by the members themselves.

IMAGE: SPACEDOTCOM-TWITTER