Astronauts aboard the ISS often capture some mesmerizing images of Earth, but the latest images of our planet come from an even higher orbit and show Earth from a different – and perhaps more striking –perspective.

The images were captured during the world’s first all-civilian space mission operated by SpaceX earlier this month. While the crew members shared a lot of images and videos from their recent trip to space aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft, the latest images have been captured using a professional camera and offer a high level of detail.  

Over 700 images were taken of Earth

During the Inspiration4 mission, the crew orbited 357 miles above Earth, which is around 100 miles further away from Earth than the ISS. The crew members were able to take photos thanks to the spacecraft’s all-glass dome that offered panoramic views of our planet and beyond.

Jared Isaacman, who was the commander of the mission, said they captured around 700 images to share using the crew’s Nikon DSLR, so we can expect more striking images in the coming weeks.

To prepare for the trip to space, the four crewmembers spent six months that required them to perform extensive training that included all aspects of the mission, from take-off to landing, as well as team-building exercises that require climbing part of Mount Rainier in Washington.

Raising funds through spaceflight

The commander of the mission secured the Inspiration4 mission in a private deal with Elon Musk. The founder of payment-processing firm Shift4 Payments said that he will use this mission to raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Besides, SpaceX has also roped in a Canadian tech startup to start an advertising billboard in space. Samuel Reid, CEO, and co-founder of Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC) said that his firm will be working alongside Elon Musk’s SpaceX to launch a satellite dubbed CubeSate. This new venture will bring a new era of advertising and many could follow the idea.