Elon Musk donates $ 50 million to St. Jude Hospital



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SpaceX founder Elon Musk donated $ 50 million to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital to help it surpass Inspiration4’s $ 200 million fundraising goal.

The billionaire tweeted his pledge just hours after the space flight completed its three-day mission by successfully crashing into the Atlantic Ocean off Florida on Saturday night.

“Count me for $ 50 million”, he wrote in the publication.

Billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who bought the flight with SpaceX and announced the mission will raise funds for St. Jude’s, has donated $ 100 million to the cause.

With Musk’s contribution and the $ 60 million donated by the public, $ 210 million was raised for childhood cancer research.

Hayley Arceneaux, flight medic and medical assistant at St. Jude’s, said Musk’s engagement “brings tears to my eyes.”

“Thank you @elonmusk for this generous donation towards our $ 200 million fundraising goal for @StJude !!! “, she said on Twitter.

The Inspiration4 mission took off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 missile last Wednesday.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carried Isaacman, Arceneaux, a childhood cancer survivor, Sian Proctor, a geologist, and Chris Sembroski, a Lockheed Martin employee.

The crew stayed in orbit for three days and reached an altitude of 367 miles.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
With the addition of Elon Musk’s contribution, $ 210 million was raised for childhood cancer research.
Matt Patterson via AP

The mission marked the first time a flight has entered orbit with a fully civilian crew.



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