SpaceX launches 1st all-civilian crew into orbit

SpaceX made history on Wednesday night, when it launched an all-civilian crew into orbit.

This is the first-ever spaceflight without any professional astronauts on board. The four private citizens on the Inspiration4 mission are Jared Isaacman, a billionaire who paid for the launch and is using it as a fundraiser for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital; Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude's; Chris Sembroski, an aerospace worker; and Sian Proctor, an educator and trained pilot.

The crew members are on board a modified Crew Dragon capsule, USA Today reports, which was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8:02 p.m. ET. They trained together for about five months, and will spend the next three days orbiting the Earth. They are expected to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere on Saturday, splashing down off the Florida coast.

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During a Tuesday press conference, Isaacman said that from the start, the crew has wanted to "deliver a very inspiring message, certainly the opportunities up in space and what can be done there but also what we can accomplish here on Earth."