Super Bowl Ad for Inspiration4 Invites Viewers to Join World’s First All-Civilian Mission to Space

Inspiration4, scheduled to become the world's first all-civilian mission to space later this year, will introduce itself to the public and extend an invitation to the stars this Sunday on one of the biggest stages Earth has to offer – the broadcast of Super Bowl LV.

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The Inspiration4 Super Bowl commercial ends with an invitation for viewers to go to space, and to visit the mission’s website, www.inspiration4.com, to learn more. (Photo: Business Wire)

A 30-second commercial, which highlights the milestone event in human space exploration and announces the opportunity for two people to join the four-person crew, will run during the first quarter of CBS's national broadcast of the game. The release of the spot today follows Monday’s announcement of the Inspiration4 mission at SpaceX headquarters and the humanitarian and charitable message Inspiration4 intends to deliver.

Entitled "Join Us" and expected to reach a viewing audience in excess of 100 million people, the ad revolves around simple but elegant close-up shots of an authentic SpaceX Suit, adorned with a patch representing the mission’s four pillars – Leadership, Hope, Generosity and Prosperity. As the camera moves across the suit, the voice-over intones, “This fall Inspiration4 launches as the first all-civilian mission to space, and you could be on board.” The commercial ends with an invitation for viewers to go to space, and to visit the mission’s website, www.inspiration4.com, to learn more.

The commercial was fittingly directed by the actress, producer and director Bryce Dallas Howard, for whom space has held a personal fascination since childhood. She is the eldest daughter of actor and filmmaker Ron Howard, who directed the iconic and Academy Award®-winning film “Apollo 13,” a profile in courage of the ill-fated third lunar landing in 1970. In addition to her acting credits, Howard has also directed episodes of “The Mandalorian.”

Howard’s direction of “Join Us” is accentuated by unexpected and inviting music and voice-over. A fresh and enchanting take on the timeless lullaby “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” is provided by Celeste, a British-Jamaican singer and songwriter who won the BBC’s “Sound of 2020” poll and the BRIT Awards’ “Rising Star” prize last year. Her debut album, “Not Your Muse,” was released last week via Interscope Records. Voice-over was provided by Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer.

Regarding her role in directing the commercial, Bryce Dallas Howard said: “To me, this was an undeniable opportunity to present the ultimate Golden Ticket. 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. I got to reunite with some longtime collaborators to make this happen: John Schwartzman behind the camera, Octavia Spencer as our voice, and ILM in the edit. And working with SpaceX, Shift4, and Known, it was like we were kids again re-discovering the awe and wonder of the cosmos. Many times throughout this process I had to remind myself, as I’m sure many folks will do while watching the spot, that yes, this is real and this is happening.”

The Inspiration4 commercial was created by Emmy Award®-winning marketing agency Known, the agency of record for Shift4 Payments and Shift4Shop. The team that collaborated on the spot includes the Academy Award-winning crew from Industrial Light and Magic as well as Academy Award-winning Director of Photography John Schwartzman, whose credits include “Jurassic World,” “The Amazing Spider-Man,” and “Seabiscuit.”

As announced earlier this week, the Inspiration4 mission will be commanded by Jared Isaacman, the 37-year-old founder and chief executive officer of Shift4 Payments and an accomplished pilot, philanthropist and adventurer. Shift4 Payments will be donating a crew seat to a deserving entrepreneur demonstrating innovation and ingenuity using the new Shift4Shop platform. Isaacman has committed to give $100 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and is inviting everyone to join him in attempting to raise upwards of $200 million or more in support of St. Jude’s multi-billion-dollar expansion aimed to accelerate research advancements and save more children worldwide.

“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,” said Isaacman. “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.”

To learn more about Inspiration4 and see additional details on how to join this historic journey to space, visit www.Inspiration4.com and find us on Facebook (@inspiration4mission), Instagram (@inspiration4), Twitter (@inspiration4x) and YouTube (@Inspiration4) to receive the latest news on mission training and preparation. Terms and conditions apply.

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