Children's hospital to benefit with donors entered in draw for seat on spacecraft
The Associated Press · Posted: Feb 02, 2021
Jared Isaacman plans to take three people with him to circle the globe in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft later this year.
(St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/The Associated Press)
A U.S. billionaire who made a fortune in tech and fighter jets is buying an entire SpaceX flight and plans to take three "everyday" people with him to circle the globe this year.
Besides fulfilling his dream of flying in space, Jared Isaacman announced Monday that he aims to use the private trip to raise $200 million US for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., half coming from his own pocket.
A female health-care worker for St. Jude already has been selected for the mission. Anyone donating to St. Jude in February will be entered into a random drawing for seat No. 3. The fourth seat will go to a business owner who uses Shift4 Payments, Isaacman's credit-card processing company in Allentown, Pa.
"I truly want us to live in a world 50 or 100 years from now where people are jumping in their rockets like the Jetsons and there are families bouncing around on the moon with their kid in a spacesuit," Isaacman, who turns 38 next week, told The Associated Press.
"I also think if we are going to live in that world, we better conquer childhood cancer along the way."
A U.S. billionaire who made a fortune in tech and fighter jets is buying an entire SpaceX flight and plans to take three "everyday" people with him to circle the globe this year.
Besides fulfilling his dream of flying in space, Jared Isaacman announced Monday that he aims to use the private trip to raise $200 million US for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., half coming from his own pocket.
A female health-care worker for St. Jude already has been selected for the mission. Anyone donating to St. Jude in February will be entered into a random drawing for seat No. 3. The fourth seat will go to a business owner who uses Shift4 Payments, Isaacman's credit-card processing company in Allentown, Pa.
"I truly want us to live in a world 50 or 100 years from now where people are jumping in their rockets like the Jetsons and there are families bouncing around on the moon with their kid in a spacesuit," Isaacman, who turns 38 next week, told The Associated Press.
"I also think if we are going to live in that world, we better conquer childhood cancer along the way."
Super Bowl ad will publicize mission
He has bought a Super Bowl ad to publicize the mission, dubbed Inspiration4 and targeted for an October launch from Florida. The other passengers aboard the SpaceX Dragon capsule — what Isaacman calls a diverse group "from everyday walks of life" — will be announced next month. SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk expects the flight to last two to four days.
Isaacman's trip is the latest deal announced for private space travel — and it's No. 1 on the runway for an orbital trip.
"This is an important milestone toward enabling access to space for everyone," Musk said during a press conference Monday from SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, Calif. While expensive, these initial private flights will drive down costs over time, he noted.
Last week, a Houston company revealed the names of three businessmen, including a Canadian, who are paying $55 million US ($70 million Cdn) apiece to fly to the International Space Station next January aboard a SpaceX Dragon. And a Japanese businessman has a deal with SpaceX to fly to the moon. In the past, space tourists had to hitch rides to the space station on Russian rockets.
Isaacman would not divulge how much he's paying SpaceX, except to say that the anticipated donation to St. Jude "vastly exceeds the cost of the mission."
While a former NASA astronaut will accompany the three businessmen, Isaacman will serve as his own spacecraft commander. The appeal, he said, is learning all about SpaceX's Dragon and Falcon 9 rocket. The capsules are designed to fly autonomously, but a pilot can override the system in an emergency.
SpaceX says the crew of four will go into space from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., 'no earlier than the fourth quarter of this year.' (John Raoux/The Associated Press)
A "space geek" since kindergarten, Isaacman dropped out of high school when he was 16, got a GED certificate and started a business in his parents' basement that became the genesis for Shift4. He set a speed record flying around the world in 2009 while raising money for the Make-A-Wish program, and later established Draken International, the world's largest private fleet of fighter jets.
Isaacman's $100 million US commitment to St. Jude in Memphis is the largest-ever by a single individual and one of the largest overall.
"We're pinching ourselves every single day," said Rick Shadyac, president of St. Jude's fundraising organization.
Crew to be taken on mountain expedition
Besides SpaceX training, Isaacman intends to take his crew on a mountain expedition to mimic his most uncomfortable experience so far — tenting on the side of a mountain in bitter winter conditions.
"We're all going to get to know each other ... really well before launch," he said.
He's acutely aware of the need for things to go well.
"If something does go wrong, it will set back every other person's ambition to go and become a commercial astronaut," he told the AP over the weekend from his home in Easton, Pa.
SpaceX sets record for most spacecraft shuttled to orbit in a single mission
Isaacman said he signed with Musk's company because it's the clear leader in commercial space flight, with two astronaut flights already completed. Boeing has yet to fly astronauts to the space station for NASA. While Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin expect to start flying customers later this year, their craft will just briefly skim the surface of space.
Isaacman had put out space flight feelers for years. He travelled to Kazakhstan in 2008 to see a Russian Soyuz blast off with a tourist on board, then a few years later attended one of NASA's last space shuttle launches. SpaceX invited him to the company's second astronaut launch for NASA in November.
U.S. astronauts discuss 'humbling experience' aboard SpaceX craft
While Isaacman and wife, Monica, managed to keep his space trip hush-hush over the months, their daughters couldn't. The girls, ages 7 and 4, overheard their parents discussing the flight last year and told their teachers, who called to ask if it was true dad was an astronaut.
"My wife said, 'No, of course not, you know how these kids make things up.' But I mean the reality is my kids weren't that far off with that one."
A "space geek" since kindergarten, Isaacman dropped out of high school when he was 16, got a GED certificate and started a business in his parents' basement that became the genesis for Shift4. He set a speed record flying around the world in 2009 while raising money for the Make-A-Wish program, and later established Draken International, the world's largest private fleet of fighter jets.
Isaacman's $100 million US commitment to St. Jude in Memphis is the largest-ever by a single individual and one of the largest overall.
"We're pinching ourselves every single day," said Rick Shadyac, president of St. Jude's fundraising organization.
Crew to be taken on mountain expedition
Besides SpaceX training, Isaacman intends to take his crew on a mountain expedition to mimic his most uncomfortable experience so far — tenting on the side of a mountain in bitter winter conditions.
"We're all going to get to know each other ... really well before launch," he said.
He's acutely aware of the need for things to go well.
"If something does go wrong, it will set back every other person's ambition to go and become a commercial astronaut," he told the AP over the weekend from his home in Easton, Pa.
SpaceX sets record for most spacecraft shuttled to orbit in a single mission
Isaacman said he signed with Musk's company because it's the clear leader in commercial space flight, with two astronaut flights already completed. Boeing has yet to fly astronauts to the space station for NASA. While Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin expect to start flying customers later this year, their craft will just briefly skim the surface of space.
Isaacman had put out space flight feelers for years. He travelled to Kazakhstan in 2008 to see a Russian Soyuz blast off with a tourist on board, then a few years later attended one of NASA's last space shuttle launches. SpaceX invited him to the company's second astronaut launch for NASA in November.
U.S. astronauts discuss 'humbling experience' aboard SpaceX craft
While Isaacman and wife, Monica, managed to keep his space trip hush-hush over the months, their daughters couldn't. The girls, ages 7 and 4, overheard their parents discussing the flight last year and told their teachers, who called to ask if it was true dad was an astronaut.
"My wife said, 'No, of course not, you know how these kids make things up.' But I mean the reality is my kids weren't that far off with that one."
Canadian among private space crew paying $55M US each to fly to station
The first private space station crew has been introduced a year ahead of the planned launch
The Associated Press · January 27,2021
Where does outer space begin? That's up for debate after Virgin Galactic flight
Tom Cruise was mentioned last year as a potential crew member; NASA top officials confirmed he was interested in filming a movie at the space station.
There was no word Tuesday on whether Cruise will catch the next Axiom flight. Suffredini declined to comment.
Private crew to get 15 weeks training
Each of the private astronauts had to pass medical tests and will get 15 weeks of training, according to Suffredini.
The 70-year-old Connor will become the second-oldest person to fly in space, after John Glenn's shuttle flight in 1998 at age 77. He'll also serve under Lopez-Alegria as the capsule pilot.
Axiom plans about two private missions a year to the space station. It also is working to launch its own live-in compartments to the station beginning in 2024.
This section would be detached from the station once it's retired by NASA and the international partners, and become its own private outpost.
The first private space station crew has been introduced a year ahead of the planned launch
The Associated Press · January 27,2021
This combination of photos provided by Axiom Space shows, from left, Larry Connor, Michael Lopez-Alegria, Mark Pathy and Eytan Stibbe. On Jan. 26, Axiom announced they will be the first private space station crew, a year ahead of the planned launch. (AP)
The first private space station crew was introduced Tuesday: Three men, including a Canadian, who are each paying $55 million US ($70 million) to fly on a SpaceX rocket.
They'll be led by a former NASA astronaut now working for Axiom Space, the Houston company that arranged the trip for next January.
"This is the first private flight to the International Space Station. It's never been done before," said Axiom's chief executive and president Mike Suffredini, a former space station program manager for NASA.
While mission commander Michael Lopez-Alegria is well known in space circles, "the other three guys are just people who want to be able to go to space, and we're providing that opportunity," Suffredini told The Associated Press.
Axiom's first customers include Canadian financier Mark Pathy, CEO of Montreal-based Mavrik Corp.; Larry Connor, a real estate and tech entrepreneur from Dayton, Ohio; and Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe, a close friend of Israel's first astronaut Ilan Ramon, who was killed in the space shuttle Columbia accident in 2003.
"These guys are all very involved and doing it for ... the betterment of their communities and countries, and so we couldn't be happier with this makeup of the first crew because of their drive and their interest," Suffredini said.
Each of these first paying customers intends to perform science research in orbit, he said, along with educational outreach.
The first private space station crew was introduced Tuesday: Three men, including a Canadian, who are each paying $55 million US ($70 million) to fly on a SpaceX rocket.
They'll be led by a former NASA astronaut now working for Axiom Space, the Houston company that arranged the trip for next January.
"This is the first private flight to the International Space Station. It's never been done before," said Axiom's chief executive and president Mike Suffredini, a former space station program manager for NASA.
While mission commander Michael Lopez-Alegria is well known in space circles, "the other three guys are just people who want to be able to go to space, and we're providing that opportunity," Suffredini told The Associated Press.
Axiom's first customers include Canadian financier Mark Pathy, CEO of Montreal-based Mavrik Corp.; Larry Connor, a real estate and tech entrepreneur from Dayton, Ohio; and Israeli businessman Eytan Stibbe, a close friend of Israel's first astronaut Ilan Ramon, who was killed in the space shuttle Columbia accident in 2003.
"These guys are all very involved and doing it for ... the betterment of their communities and countries, and so we couldn't be happier with this makeup of the first crew because of their drive and their interest," Suffredini said.
Each of these first paying customers intends to perform science research in orbit, he said, along with educational outreach.
The three men will be on the first private flight to the International Space Station. (NASA)
Lopez-Alegria, a former space station resident and spacewalking leader, called the group a "collection of pioneers."
The first crew will spend eight days at the space station, and will take one or two days to get there aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule following liftoff from Cape Canaveral.
Space tourism becoming big business
Russia has been in the off-the-planet tourism business for years, selling rides to the International Space Station since 2001.
Other space companies like Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin plan to take paying customers on up-and-down flights lasting just minutes.
These trips — much more affordable with seats going for hundreds of thousands versus millions — could kick off this year.
Lopez-Alegria, a former space station resident and spacewalking leader, called the group a "collection of pioneers."
The first crew will spend eight days at the space station, and will take one or two days to get there aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule following liftoff from Cape Canaveral.
Space tourism becoming big business
Russia has been in the off-the-planet tourism business for years, selling rides to the International Space Station since 2001.
Other space companies like Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin plan to take paying customers on up-and-down flights lasting just minutes.
These trips — much more affordable with seats going for hundreds of thousands versus millions — could kick off this year.
Where does outer space begin? That's up for debate after Virgin Galactic flight
Tom Cruise was mentioned last year as a potential crew member; NASA top officials confirmed he was interested in filming a movie at the space station.
There was no word Tuesday on whether Cruise will catch the next Axiom flight. Suffredini declined to comment.
Private crew to get 15 weeks training
Each of the private astronauts had to pass medical tests and will get 15 weeks of training, according to Suffredini.
The 70-year-old Connor will become the second-oldest person to fly in space, after John Glenn's shuttle flight in 1998 at age 77. He'll also serve under Lopez-Alegria as the capsule pilot.
Axiom plans about two private missions a year to the space station. It also is working to launch its own live-in compartments to the station beginning in 2024.
This section would be detached from the station once it's retired by NASA and the international partners, and become its own private outpost.
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