On September 15, 2021, the most recent batch of space tourists launched on a SpaceX rocket. The ‘Inspiration4’ mission, organized and funded by entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, bills itself as "the first all-civilian mission to orbit" and a new sort of space tourism.

The four astronauts aren't the first visitors to the International Space Station this year. In recent months, billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos have launched themselves and a select few others into space on suborbital flights. While there are some similarities between previous launches and ‘Inspiration4’ — the mission is funded by a billionaire and uses a rocket designed by another billionaire, Elon Musk.

The voyage has been dubbed the first "all citizen" space mission because none of the four participants has had any formal astronaut training. Despite the fact that the rocket and crew capsule are both fully automated, and no one on board will need to operate any portion of the launch or landing, however the four members required far more training than those on suborbital missions.

Inspiration4 is a watershed moment in space tourism because of its emphasis on public participation and the fact that it will send average people into orbit for three days.