SpaceX plans first private spacewalk – DW – 08/28/2024

SpaceX is preparing to launch a complex new orbital mission that will see an all-civilian crew conduct the first spacewalk on a private mission.

The first attempt, scheduled for Tuesday (27.08.2024), was postponed due to technical issues. The Polaris Dawn mission, organized by American billionaire Jared Isaacman, was supposed to launch this Wednesday (28.08.2024) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but the mission was postponed again as more launch opportunities opened up on Thursday.

In addition, SpaceX announced on social media.

First private spacewalk

The SpaceX Dragon capsule, perched atop a Falcon 9, is expected to reach a maximum altitude of 1,400 km, the furthest distance for a manned mission in nearly half a century since the Apollo lunar missions.

Isaacman, the mission commander, will lead the crew members to their ultimate goal: the first-ever non-governmental spacewalk.

The four civilian astronauts will be equipped with new spacesuits developed by SpaceX for use in outer space, called EVA.

Joining the businessman will be pilot Scott Poteet, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel; Sarah Gillis, a space operations engineer at SpaceX; and Dr. Anna Menon, also a space operations engineer at the company.

The crew, who trained for more than two years for this historic mission, spent hundreds of hours in simulators, skydiving, training in a centrifuge chamber, diving and even climbing to the top of a volcano in Ecuador.

Polaris Dawn will be the first of three missions in the Polaris program, a collaboration between Isaacman, the founder of technology company Shift4 Payments, and SpaceX.

Isaacman was unwilling to disclose the amount invested in the project, although reports claim he paid Musk’s company nearly $200 million for the September 2021 Inspiration4 mission, the first all-civilian orbital mission.

Six days in space

Polaris Dawn will reach its maximum altitude on its first day, briefly plunging into the Van Allen radiation belt, a region filled with high-energy particles that can cause health problems in humans from long-term exposure.

During the spacewalk, scheduled for the third day of the mission, the crew will use advanced spacewalking vehicles equipped with head-up displays, helmet-mounted cameras and advanced joint mobility systems to exit the spacecraft in pairs.

Each will spend 15 to 20 minutes in space at an altitude of 700 km from Earth.

The crew’s tasks also include testing satellite communications using lasers between the ship and Starlink, SpaceX’s network of more than 6,000 internet satellites in an effort to increase space communications speeds, and conducting nearly 40 scientific experiments.

The Polaris Dawn mission will end after six days in space and is scheduled to return to Earth off the coast of Florida.

uh (efe, dpa)