Have you ever dreamed of going to space? If so, there's a Super Bowl ad this year that's tailored just for you.
Earlier this week, SpaceX announced that it is teaming up with billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Issacman to launch the first "all-civilian" spaceflight. The mission, called "Inspiration4," will launch later this year on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule to fly Isaacman and three others to Earth orbit and back.
Isaacman, who founded Shift4Payments, a payment processing company, booked the flight with SpaceX and says he is donating the other three seats. One seat is up for grabs in a contest to anyone who makes a donation to St. Jude's Children Research Hospital. Another seat will go to a St. Jude's healthcare worker, and the third will go to the winner of an entrepreneur contest run by Isaacman's Shift4Shop.
Those contests are promoted in the new 30-second Super Bowl ad, entitled "Join Us," which is narrated by actor Octavia Spencer and directed by Bryce Dallas Howard. It will air Sunday (Feb. 7) during the first quarter of the 2021 Super Bowl on CBS.
"This fall, Inspiration4 launches as the first all-civilian mission to space, and you could be on board," Spencer says as the British-Jamaican singer and songwriter Celeste sings a version of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in the background.
The Inspiration4 Super Bowl commercial, which was created by the Emmy Award-winning marketing agency Known, highlights SpaceX's achievement as the first commercial company to launch astronauts to the International Space Station. It features close-up shots of a SpaceX flight suit, as well as a look at the mission's patch.
It also announces the opportunity of a lifetime — a chance to go to space. During the Super Bowl, the ad is expected to reach more than 100 million people, so there may end up being a lot of competition for the available seats.
"To me, this was an undeniable opportunity to present the ultimate Golden Ticket," Howard said in a statement about the commercial. "This mission represents just how much humanity has to offer, and it was essential to capture that in everything from the photography of the SpaceX suit to Celeste’s beautiful soundtrack."
The commercial ends with an invitation for viewers to go to space. To learn more about the mission and your chance to nab that lucky spot, visit the Inspiration4 website.
Through this contest, Isaacman says he hopes to raise at least $200 million for the children's cancer center.
"The Inspiration4 mission gives us a historic opportunity to not only explore space but assemble a crew that represents the best of humankind's ideals,” Isaacman said in a statement. "It's our intention to build a crew that reflects humanity and the diversity inherent in our society while giving back to those who need it. I want to use this moment to bring humanity together and remind people that inspiring ourselves and each other can change the course of our future."
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