SpaceX launches civilian crew of four into space for the first time

SpaceX launched Crew Dragon as part of the Inspiration4 mission. The Falcon 9 launch vehicle took off on September 16 at 3:02 Moscow time. 

Behind

during the flight the spacecraft will reach an orbit at an altitude of 575 km. The ISS orbit, for comparison, is about 420 km. 

The crew included: a doctor from a children's hospital in Memphis, Haley Arsenault, a professor of geology, Cyen Proctor, an employee of the Lockheed Martin aerospace corporation, Christopher Sembroski, and an American billionaire Jared Isaacman: he paid for all four places on the ship. 

According to the businessman, the flight is a charity event aimed at raising $200 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis.

During the flight, the crew will also study how weightlessness affects the human body. This will help with future launches of civilian crews. 

The flight will last three days, after which Crew Dragon will splash down on one of the sites off the coast of Florida.

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