Inspiration4 sends an all-civilian crew to orbit
Four people with no professional astronaut training flew a three-day mission on Crew Dragon.
Archive entry. This article looks back at an event from September 15, 2021. It was drafted with AI assistance from public records and is being fact-checked. See our About page.
On September 15, 2021, a Falcon 9 launched the Crew Dragon capsule Resilience from Kennedy Space Center on the Inspiration4 mission. It was the first orbital flight with an entirely non-professional crew.
The mission was commanded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, who chartered the flight. It also raised money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The crew spent three days in orbit at an altitude higher than the International Space Station and splashed down off the coast of Florida.
It marked a turning point for commercial human spaceflight, following later private missions to the space station.
