Jared Isaacman, Founder and CEO of ecommerce payments platform Shift4 Payments, is taking promotional giveaways to a new height, literally and figuratively. The tech entrepreneur and pilot has paid an undisclosed amount to command the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission, the first-ever all-civilian mission to space, targeted to launch at the end of 2021.
In addition to his own seat, Isaacman has also paid for the additional three mission seats, which he plans to donate. Two seats will be tied to the launch’s charitable partner, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital — one going to a St. Jude ambassador and the second to a member of the general public as part of a fundraising sweepstakes.
The fourth and final seat will be given to a customer of Isaacman’s newly launched Shift4Shop ecommerce platform, a solution for creating online stores. From now through the end of February, current and new Shift4Shop users can enter to join Isaacman on his trip to the stars by launching (pun intended) a Shift4Shop store and then sharing their story on Twitter. The winner will be selected by a panel of celebrity judges and announced in mid-March.
To promote the two seat giveaways, Shift4 Payments will air a 30-second spot on Feb. 7 during Super Bowl LV that promises to “dramatically introduce the mission and its purpose to the public,” according to a statement.
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“Inspiration4 is the realization of a lifelong dream and a step towards a future in which anyone can venture out and explore the stars,” said Isaacman in a statement. “I appreciate the tremendous responsibility that comes with commanding this mission and I want to use this historic moment to inspire humanity while helping to tackle childhood cancer here on Earth.”
In addition to being a tech entrepreneur, Isaacman is also an accomplished pilot with a number of high-flying feats already under his belt. He is rated to fly commercial and military aircraft and holds several world records including a Speed-Around-The-World flight to benefit the Make-a-Wish Foundation.
Isaacman and the Inspiration4 crew will undergo commercial astronaut training by SpaceX on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle and Dragon spacecraft, including a specific focus on orbital mechanics, operating in microgravity, zero gravity and other forms of stress testing.
The mission will launch from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida and will be monitored by SpaceX mission control as the spacecraft orbits the planet every 90 minutes along a customized flight path. Upon conclusion of the multi-day journey, Dragon will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere for a soft water landing off the coast of Florida.
