Skip to main content

Inspiration4

A journey to space. A cause for humanity.

St. Jude was the charitable beneficiary of Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit the Earth. 

Donate to St. Jude Find More Ways to Help St. Jude

 
St. Jude video about the Inspiration4 all-civilian spaceflight.
 
Loading
 
 
Inspiration4 launches from Cape Canaveral.

The launch of Inspiration4

 

Over a year ago, on September 15, 2021, Inspiration4 launched into space carrying four civilian crew members on a three-day orbital mission.

Inspiration4 was named for its four-person crew and its mission to inspire support for the lifesaving work of St. Jude. Each crew member represented one of the spaceflight’s pillars: Leadership, Hope, Prosperity and Generosity.

Read what the Inspiration4 crew have been up to one year after the launch.

 
 

Meet the Inspiration4 crew

 
Headshot of Jared Isaacman.

Jared Isaacman

Commander and benefactor

Leadership seat

 
Headshot of Hayley Arceneaux.

Hayley Arceneaux

St. Jude cancer survivor

Hope seat

 
Headshot of Dr. Sian Proctor.

Dr. Sian Proctor

Shift4Shop owner

Prosperity seat

 
Headshot of Chris Sembroski.

Christopher Sembroski

St. Jude donor

Generosity seat

 

Inspiration4 had a $200 million fundraising goal for St. Jude, which was exceeded thanks to the generosity of Jared Isaacman, who commanded the spaceflight. And his impact didn't stop there. Learn how he's continuing to make history with the Polaris program.

 
 
Inspiration4 Advanced Research Center on the St. Jude campus.

Inspiration4 Advanced Research Center on the St. Jude campus

 

Inspiration4 raised more than $250 million for the kids of St. Jude.

This historic spaceflight helped fund the Inspiration4 Advanced Research Center on the St. Jude campus in Memphis, Tenn. The 625,000 square-foot facility can accommodate up to 1,000 employees and will be a significant resource in how we treat and cure cancer. Learn more.

 
 

Inspiration4 showed the world new possibilities here on Earth and beyond.

And in the process, it supported the lifesaving mission of St. Jude: Finding cures. Saving children.® You can still get involved, and help save the lives of kids everywhere.

 
Image of Dr. Sian Proctor of the Inspiration 4 Mission Crew

As a child, her parents encouraged her dream of becoming an astronaut. They never told her it might be difficult for a young Black girl.

Read Dr. Proctor's Story

 
Inspiration4 jacket, hat, and coffee mug.

Show your support for this remarkable milestone with a flight jacket, coffee mug, space puppy and more. Proceeds benefit St. Jude.

Explore Inspiration4 gear.

 
T-shirts, tote bag and phone case from our Amazon store.

Space- and Inspiration4-themed T-shirts, tote bags, pillows, phone cases and more — all to benefit St. Jude kids.

Shop our Amazon store.

 
 
 

St. Jude facility dogs Puggle and Huckleberry inspired the official zero-gravity indicator the crew had on board. Get yours at the St. Jude Gift Shop.

Shop our Amazon store.

 
 
Hand holding a coin with the Bitcoin symbol.

Support St. Jude with a donation of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin or other cryptocurrencies. 

Give to us with cryptocurrency.

 
Netflix poster.

Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space is a documentary series that covered the events in near real-time, airing in five parts leading up to and after the mission.

Watch the documentary on Netflix.

 
T-shirts and watch cover with art inspired by St. Jude patient Colton.

Shop our space collection inspired by the artwork of St. Jude patient Colton, or browse through our whole selection. Proceeds benefit St. Jude.

Shop the St. Jude Gift Shop.

 
 
 

From cancer patient to astronaut

As a kid, Hayley Arceneaux was treated at St. Jude for osteosarcoma. She grew up to be a St. Jude physician assistant who had a seat to space on Inspiration4.

Read About Hayley's Journey

 
 

Mission highlights

 

Sept. 15, 2021

Inspiration4 lanches from Florida Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A.

 
 
 

Sept. 16, 2021

The crew of Inspiration4 talks to a very special group back home on Earth — St. Jude patients.

 
 
 

Sept. 18, 2021

Inspiration4 splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean.

 
 
The Earth from space.
 
 
St. Jude physician assistant and Inspiration4 crew member Hayley holding a photo of herself as a St. Jude patient.

St. Jude physician assistant and Inspiration4 crew member Hayley Arceneaux holding a photo of herself as a St. Jude patient.

 

About St. Jude

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases. And families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food.

St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes, and every child saved at St. Jude means doctors and scientists worldwide can use that knowledge to save thousands more children. Learn more.

 
 

JARED ISAACMAN

Jared Isaacman is the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, a company he started in 1999 when he was only 16 years old, which today is an industry-leading payments technology company with more than 1,200 employees. Jared is an influential business leader who's been featured by various media outlets and publications. 

An accomplished jet pilot and world-record holder, he's rated to fly commercial and military aircraft. Jared was the commander and benefactor of Inspiration4.

Read more about Jared and his connection to St. Jude.

HAYLEY ARCENEAUX

When Hayley was 10 years old, one of her knees began to ache. Her doctor thought it was just a sprain, but a few months later, tests revealed Hayley suffered from osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Her family turned to St. Jude for her treatment and care, which included chemotherapy and a limb-saving surgery. She's now finished with treatment and thriving.

Hayley obtained an undergraduate degree in Spanish in 2014, and obtained her Physician Assistant (PA) degree in 2016. She now works at St. Jude — the very place that saved her life — as a PA with leukemia and lymphoma patients.

Read more about Hayley.

DR. SIAN PROCTOR

Dr. Proctor, a 51-year-old entrepreneur, educator, trained pilot and active voice in the space exploration community, was awarded her seat by being selected as the top entrant of an independently-judged online business competition that attracted approximately 200 entries and was conducted by the e-commerce platform Shift4Shop.

Read more about Dr. Proctor.

CHRISTOPHER SEMBROSKI

Chris Sembroski, a 41-year-old aerospace industry employee at Lockheed Martin and United States Air Force veteran, contributed to a special fundraising campaign for St. Jude that offered an Inspiration4 seat to a lucky donor after receiving nearly 72,000 entries. 

Read more about Chris.

Close