St. Jude physician assistant, cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux launches into space, Netflix releases documentary on Inspiration4, auctions planned, communities everywhere team up for virtual St. Jude Walk/Run, 60+ celebrities lend support on social media.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital PR) — During Childhood Cancer Awareness Month in September, witness how the sky is no limit for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital^®. St. Jude physician assistant and pediatric cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux will launch into space on the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit called Inspiration4 on Wednesday, Sept. 15. Communities, celebrities and influencers everywhere will also team up for virtual St. Jude Walk/Run on Sept. 25.

Song from Grammy award-winning rock band Kings of Leon one of several items to be auctioned beginning Sept. 9 to support $200 million fundraising effort for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Sept. 9, 2021) – Astronauts have long brought interesting items into space, dating back to the very first Mercury mission in 1961. But with Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit, the crew will be taking not just personal mementos but things that didn’t exist even a year ago, much less 60 years ago. Indeed, their payload will include the first-ever minted NFT song to be played in orbit, created by the Grammy Award-winning rock band Kings of Leon.

VIDEO CAPTION: This September, we’re taking the next epic leap forward into space exploration. 4 civilians. Orbiting earth. On their own. Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space is a documentary series that will cover the events in near real-time, airing in five parts leading up to and after the mission, only on Netflix. EPISODES 1/2: MEET THE CREW – WATCH GLOBALLY ON NETFLIX SEPT 6 EPISODES 3/4: PREPARE FOR LAUNCH – […]

Historic mission to advance science and medicine for human health during spaceflight 

LOS ANGELES, August 30, 2021 – The crew of Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian human spaceflight mission to orbit, announced today that they will partake in a first-of-its-kind health research initiative to increase humanity’s knowledge on the impact of spaceflight on the human body. Once in orbit, the crew will perform carefully selected research experiments on human health and performance, which will have potential applications for human health on Earth and during future spaceflights.

Additionally, SpaceX, the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at Baylor College of Medicine and investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine will collect environmental and biomedical data and biological samples from Inspiration4’s four crew members before, during, and after this historic spaceflight. 

New Crew Members Representing Prosperity and Generosity Join Hope and Leadership to Complete the Crew Manifest

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., MARCH 30, 2021 (Inspiration4 PR – Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to space, today announced the final two members of the four-person crew that will undertake a historic voyage to the stars later this year. Christopher Sembroski of Everett, WA and Dr. Sian Proctor of Tempe, AZ will join previously announced crew member Hayley Arceneaux under the command of Jared Isaacman. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch the crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft later this year.

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

The Inspiration4 space mission has named a childhood cancer survivor and physician assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as the second crew for the orbital flight scheduled for late this year.

HAWTHORNE, Calif. (SpaceX PR) — Plans for the world’s first all-civilian mission to space were announced today from SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, CA. The mission is being targeted for the fourth quarter of this year and will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, the 37-year-old founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments [NYSE:FOUR] and an accomplished pilot.

Named Inspiration4 in recognition of the four-person crew’s mission to inspire support for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and send a humanitarian message of possibility, the journey represents a new era for human spaceflight and exploration. Isaacman is donating the three mission seats alongside him to crew members who will be selected to represent the mission pillars of leadership, hope, generosity and prosperity.