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Pioneering SpaceX Mission Set to Achieve Historic First: Private Crew's Spacewalk
History is in the making! 🚀 SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission, led by Jared Isaacman, is set for the first-ever spacewalk by non-professional astronauts. The crew reaches new heights with a daring EVA scheduled for today.
ND
by News Desk
2024-09-12
Pioneering SpaceX Mission Set to Achieve Historic First: Private Crew's Spacewalk

In a groundbreaking achievement, the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission is poised to make history with the first-ever spacewalk conducted by non-professional astronauts. Launched on Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center, the mission, led by fintech billionaire Jared Isaacman, has already achieved a remarkable milestone by reaching an altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers), surpassing the International Space Station by more than three times.

The crew, which includes Isaacman, SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis, mission pilot Scott Poteet, and SpaceX engineer Anna Menon, is preparing for an audacious extravehicular activity (EVA) scheduled for 0958 GMT on Thursday, with a backup window on Friday. This historic spacewalk will occur in the inner Van Allen radiation belt, a region rich in high-energy particles, and will see the crew venture outside the Dragon spacecraft in a unique maneuver.

Due to the lack of an airlock on the Crew Dragon capsule, the entire crew will experience the vacuum of space during the spacewalk, which is expected to last about two hours. Isaacman and Gillis will take turns using a structure attached to the hatch, dubbed “Skywalker,” to perform the spacewalk, while Poteet and Menon monitor vital systems from inside the spacecraft.

The spacewalk is part of a broader mission agenda, which includes testing SpaceX’s next-generation spacesuits equipped with heads-up displays and helmet cameras. Additionally, the crew will conduct 36 scientific experiments, including studies on contact lenses with embedded microelectronics to monitor changes in eye pressure and shape in space.

This mission marks the first of three under the Polaris program, a collaboration between Isaacman and SpaceX. Financial details of the partnership remain undisclosed, but Isaacman has previously invested $200 million of his own fortune into leading the 2021 all-civilian SpaceX Inspiration4 mission. The final Polaris mission is set to be the inaugural crewed flight of SpaceX’s Starship, which is a critical component of Elon Musk’s vision for Mars colonization.

As the world watches, the Polaris Dawn mission represents a significant step toward the commercialization of space travel, paving the way for future space exploration and tourism.
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