Pace to reach space shoots up as SpaceX set to launch billionaire into orbit
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from pad 39A on May 1, 2017 in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The race to reach the space seems to be high on agenda for billionaires now as after Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson and Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos, another entrepreneur is all set to ride into space this week.
E-commerce firm Shift4 Payments founder and chief executive Jared Isaacman will lead three fellow spaceflight novices on a three-day trip to space. They will reach Earth's orbit onboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.The three travel mates have been selected specially.
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If the mission is successful, it will begin a new era of commercial space tourism. Several companies are already eying for customers, who are willing to pay a small fortune to experience the supersonic flight, weightlessness and the visual spectacle of space.
The SpaceX rocket ship will be blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida and splashdown in the Atlantic at the end. The flight will carry its four passengers where no all-civilian crew has gone ever before, into Earth’s orbit. This astro-tourist team, will make history in achieving this feat.
The 38-year-old tech mogul seems to have spent a presumably exorbitant amount of money to be a part of the trip.
With a 24-hour targeted launch window, the vehicle will blastoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center atop one of Musk's reusable Falcon 9 rockets.The orbital outing, which is being dubbed as Inspiration4, was conceived by Isaacman.
(With inputs from agencies)