After three days in space, four SpaceX tourists safely returned to Earth on Saturday. They had completed the first ever orbital mission without professional astronauts.
According to SpaceX, the capsule's heat shield enabled it to resist descent. The capsule then slowed by four large parachutes, before hitting the Atlantic Ocean off Florida's coast at 7:06 PM (23:06 GMT).
Jared Isaacman, a billionaire captain, stated that it was an amazing ride and that he is just beginning to enjoy it.
The capsule was immediately recovered by a SpaceX boat, just before the hatch was opened. Space tourists smiled broadly and waved their arms in the air as they exited one after another.
Next, they were heading for Kennedy Space Center where their Wednesday mission had started.
Inspiration4 was a mission that had the stated goal to promote the democratization space. It proved that the cosmos were accessible to crews who have not been trained for years or handpicked.
"Congratulations @Inspiration4x " Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX, tweeted the landing.
Isaacman, three American space enthusiasts, spent three days orbiting Earth. They traveled farther than the International Space Station, (ISS), by orbiting at approximately 575 km (357 miles high) and circling Earth more than 15 times per day.
Isaacman, who paid SpaceX millions of dollars, offered three other seats to strangers: Hayley Araceneaux, a 29 year-old nurse, Sian Proctor (a 51-year old professor), and Chris Sembroski (42-years-old), a veteran of the US Air Force.
The exact cost of the mission for Shift4 Payments founder and veteran pilot, 38 year old, has yet to be revealed.
Six months of training was enough to bond the Inspiration4 crew, as opposed to years for professional astronauts.
To study the effect of space on complete novices, vital signs such as heart rate, sleep, blood oxygen level, cognitive abilities and heart rate were recorded during the flight.
They also enjoyed the view from a brand-new observation dome on the capsule. Tom Cruise, an actor, was present.
Crew of @Inspiration4x - first all-civilian human spaceflight to orbit - returns to Earth pic.twitter.com/pnjkDjnkAw SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 18, 2021
Second space age
At a press conference following the landing, mission director Todd Ericson stated that "Welcome into the second space age."
Space travel will be much easier for average men and women once it is completed.
Ericson stated that there was one small issue with the capsule's toilet system during the flight. Ericson did not give further details.
"Best ride of all my life!" After disembarking from his capsule, Proctor tweeted the following:
This mission was a major fundraiser for St Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Tennessee. Arceneaux was treated there as a kid and is now a staff member.
Crew members brought with them several objects, including a ukulele. Sembroski briefly played it live from the vessel on Friday. The proceeds will go to the hospital.
After two missions to the International Space Station in August 2020 and May this year, Musk's company had returned with humans to the surface for the third time. Both astronauts were returning from a visit to the ISS.
The members of the Inspiration4 mission, unlike NASA astronauts did not travel to the ISS. They stayed in orbit around Earth.
After a long summer of battle between billionaires Richard Branson & Jeff Bezos for the ultimate frontier, the space adventure is now. Their suborbital flights offered only a few moments in zero gravity.
SpaceX has already begun to plan additional space tourism flights. SpaceX's director for human spaceflight programs, Benji Reed, stated that "the number of people approaching us through our marketing portals has actually increased significantly".
Three businessmen will be onboard the next trip, which is scheduled for January 2022.
Agence France-Presse
