SpaceX's first space tourism mission is ready to take off this Thursday at 2:02 am French time.
Called Inspiration4, the mission has no professional astronaut on board, a historic first for an orbital flight.
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The Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Dragon capsule at its top, will be propelled from the legendary launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Center in Florida, from where the Apollo 11 mission took off for the Moon.
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The four Americans on board must travel beyond the International Space Station (ISS), to a target orbit of 575 km.
Each day they will circumnavigate the globe about 15 times.
They will be able to enjoy a spectacular view through a glass dome installed for the first time on Dragon.
At the end of their journey, they will begin a dizzying descent to land off Florida, slowed down by huge parachutes.
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The mission was chartered by billionaire Jared Isaacman, 38, a financial services company boss and seasoned pilot. The price he paid SpaceX has not been disclosed, but runs into tens of millions of dollars. He will be the captain on board, and offered three more seats to strangers.
