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SpaceX's 1st tourists homeward bound after 3 days in orbit

Private Spaceflight
Private Spaceflight Explainer
Posted at 3:01 PM, Sep 18, 2021
and last updated 2021-09-18 18:01:08-04

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The first all-amateur spaceflight to orbit Earth is coming to a close. A SpaceX capsule carrying four people aimed for a splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast Saturday evening.

The billionaire who paid for the trailblazing tourist flight rocketed into orbit Wednesday night from Florida with two contest winners and a childhood cancer survivor.

She works at the hospital that saved her life: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

They're using the flight to try to raise $200 million for St. Jude. They spent six months training and preparing for potential emergencies aboard the automated Dragon capsule.