Is SpaceX's Inspiration4 really an inspiration?
Sometime on Wednesday evening — or perhaps Thursday, if the weather on Merritt Island, Florida, doesn't hold — the first all-civilian crew will leave our little blue marble behind for a three-day orbit around Earth. When announcing the historic mission earlier this year, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk called it an "important milestone towards enabling access to space for everyone," teasing a future where "we're able to bring the cost down ... and make space accessible to all."
Inspiration4, as the mission is called, is indeed impressive, the first time "normal people" with minimal training will leave the planet, enter orbit, and return to Earth days later — a substantial advancement from the 11-minute joy ride Jeff Bezos took in July. But despite the lofty name, don't be fooled: Inspiration4 is not the victory for the everyman earthling that it's being passed off to be.
I've been hugely critical of the billionaire space race, which recklessly pollutes our atmosphere and has the enormous opportunity cost of time, money, resources, and energy that could go toward more urgent planetary issues, like world hunger, global poverty, and the exacerbation of both due to climate change. Clean energy research, sustainable transportation innovations, waste management solutions, and the creation of high-paying jobs in green sectors would do far more for the average non-billionaire than a phallic rocketship ever will.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Still, we're being duped into thinking that SpaceX's civilian mission is "inspiring" because its passengers aren't professionals. For all the awed headlines, Inspiration4 is still the whimsy of a billionaire; the Falcon 9 rocket was chartered from SpaceX for somewhere south of $200 million by businessman Jared Isaacman, who's successfully washed the mission in feel-good PR. (Wednesday's voyage is part of a large fundraising effort for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a worthy cause even if the flight is a stunt.)
As for his guests, Isaacman is taking 29-year-old St. Jude physician assistant Hayley Arceneaux, a child cancer survivor who will be the youngest American to go to space and the first with a prosthesis; Sian Proctor, a passed-over finalist from NASA's astronaut program who will become the fourth Black woman to go to space; and Chris Sembroski, an Iraq War veteran who was gifted his spot after his friend won it in a raffle. "[T]he crew is a wholesome, starry-eyed bunch, imbued with a sense of awe at what they're about to do," writes The Atlantic. "In many ways, their mission marks the beginning of a new era in American spaceflight."
It's hard not to be won over! But that's also the point. "Civilian" missions like Inspiration4 make space travel appear to be "accessible to all," despite the fact that spaceflight will be "a hobby solely reserved for billionaires and centi-millionaires for many years to come," as Business Insider writes. Yet if space tourism companies can get the general public to root for them, then they've effectively gotten us to buy into something that does not actually benefit us in any way. The opposite, in fact: due to that immense opportunity cost, it actively takes away from us.
We can absolutely applaud the strides made toward diversifying spaceflight on Wednesday while also keeping clear eyes on private space companies and their greater aims. Because whenever something tells you upfront to consider it an "inspiration," it's always good to ask yourself why.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Cicada-geddon: the fungus that controls insects like 'zombies'
Under The Radar Expert says bugs will develop 'hypersexualisation' despite their genitals falling off
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
'Voters know Biden and Trump all too well'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Is the Gaza war tearing US university campuses apart?
Today's Big Question Protests at Columbia University, other institutions, pit free speech against student safety
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Is Google's new AI bot 'woke'?
Talking Points Gemini produced images of female popes and Black Vikings. Now the company has stepped back.
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk's most controversial moments
The Explainer The business mogul has a long history in the hot seat
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
2023: the year of the AI boom
the explainer This year, generative artificial intelligence bypassed the metaverse and became the next big thing in tech
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Elon Musk's 'frivolous' but precedent-setting free speech fight with Media Matters
Talking Point The lawsuit is just the latest in Musk's ongoing tension with social media watchdogs
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Inside Sam Altman's 'extraordinary firing' from OpenAI
The Explainer AI superstar joins Microsoft after 'philosophical disagreement' with his old board that stunned tech world
By The Week UK Published
-
How Grok, Elon Musk's 'rebellious' AI bot, differs from the others
The Explainer Musk developed the bot as a competitor to ChatGPT
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Twitter's year of Elon Musk: what happens next?
Why Everyone's Talking About 'Your platform is dying', says one commentator, but new CEO is aiming for profitability next year
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Nasa reveals first findings from asteroid that could explain origins of life
Speed Read Sample from Bennu has been found to contain an abundance of water and carbon
By Jamie Timson, The Week UK Published