SpaceXs first all-civilian human spaceflight mission, which will carry four passengers to orbit using a Crew Dragon capsule later this year if all goes to plan, will include one passenger selected by a panel of judges weighing the submissions of entrepreneurs. The panel will include Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Fast Company Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Mehta, YouTuber Mark Rober and Bar Rescue TV host Jon Taffer. It may seem like an eclectic bunch, but there is some reason to the madness.<\/p>\n
This seat is one of four on the ride the first belongs to contest and mission sponsor Jared Isaacman, the founder of Shift4 Payments and a billionaire who has opted to spend a not insignificant chunk of money funding the flight. The second, Isaacman revealed earlier this week, will go to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital employee and cancer survivor Hayley Arceneaux.<\/p>\n
That leaves two more seats, and theyre being decided by two separate contests. One is open to anyone who is a U.S. citizen and who makes a donation to St. Jude via the ongoing charitable contribution drive. The other will be decided by this panel of judges, and will be chosen from a pool of applicants who have built stores on Shift4s Shift4Shop e-commerce platform.<\/p>\n
Thats right: This absurdly expensive and pioneering mission to space is also a growth marketing campaign for Isaacmans Shopify competitor. But to be fair, the store of the winning entrant doesnt have to be new existing customers can also apply and are eligible.<\/p>\n
The stated criteria for deciding the winner is a business owner or entrepreneur that exhibits ingenuity, innovation and determination, so in other words it could be just about anybody. Im extremely curious to see who Benioff, Mehta, Rober (also a former NASA JPL engineer in addition to a YouTuber) and Taffer come up with between them as a winner.<\/p>\n
The Inspiration4 mission is currently set to fly in the fourth quarter of 2021, and mission specifics, including total duration and target orbit, are yet to be determined.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read the original here:<\/p>\n
Marc Benioff and this panel of judges will decide who gets one seat on the first all-civilian spaceflight - TechCrunch<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SpaceXs first all-civilian human spaceflight mission, which will carry four passengers to orbit using a Crew Dragon capsule later this year if all goes to plan, will include one passenger selected by a panel of judges weighing the submissions of entrepreneurs. Continue reading