Credit: Unsplash
The civilian crew are in good shape as the orbit the Earth.
Earlier this week, spaceflight agency SpaceX broke another milestone when they launched a manned vessel into orbit with an entirely civilian crew. Unlike the other civilian voyages that have been launched by spaceflight agencies in recent months, this one doesn’t have any pre-trained astronauts aboard, nor does it have the company’s founder. The only four people aboard the Inspiration4 capsule are billionaire Jared Isaacman, hospital worker Hayley Arceneaux, former Air Force pilot Chris Sembroski, and college professor Dr. Sian Proctor.
After taking off on Wednesday, the crew and their capsule have orbited the Earth over 15 times so far. “The crew of #Inspiration4 had an incredible first day in space! They’ve completed more than 15 orbits around planet Earth since liftoff and made full use of the Dragon cupola,” SpaceX tweeted.
Along with the tweet came several pictures of the crew. All four members seem to be in good health and good spirits as they complete their assigned research tasks and get used to eating and living in zero gravity.
The crew of #Inspiration4 had an incredible first day in space! They’ve completed more than 15 orbits around planet Earth since liftoff and made full use of the Dragon cupola. pic.twitter.com/StK4BTWSA6
— Inspiration4 (@inspiration4x) September 17, 2021
You can follow Dragon’s flight here → https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK pic.twitter.com/9bn7BYTtz5
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 16, 2021
The capsule is slated to remain in orbit for another day, currently around 590km above the Earth’s surface. At the end of the mission, the capsule and crew will return to Earth on Saturday, touching down off the coast of Florida in the evening.
