SpaceX launches world’s first private spacewalk mission

Polaris Dawn mission will take a civilian crew further than any human has travelled in more than 50 years

SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission lifted off from a launchpad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Tuesday 10 September, 2024 (SpaceX)

SpaceX has launched a crew of four civilians into space on a ground-breaking mission to attempt the world’s first private space walk.

The Polaris Dawn mission lifted off from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday morning following several weeks of delays.

The private spacewalk is expected to take place on the third day of the mission, taking the crew further from Earth than any human has travelled in more than 50 years.

“During their multi-day mission to orbit, Dragon and the crew will endeavour to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown since the Apollo program,” the private space company states in its mission objectives.

“This will also be the first time two SpaceX employees will be part of a human spaceflight crew, providing valuable insight to future missions on the road to making life multiplanetary.”

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One of the main objectives of the Polaris Dawn mission is to test a new spacesuit that has been designed for future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

SpaceX’s Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) suits will be tested in the extreme environment of space for the first time, with crew members exposed to the inner band of Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts.

The spacewalk will take place on Thursday, with crew leader Jared Isaacman abd SpaceX employee Sarah Gillis exit the craft.

Mr Isaacman, a US billionaire who previously flew on a private SpaceX mission in 2021, is personally financing the Polaris Dawn program in an effort to push forward space exploration in a significant way that goes beyond space tourism.

“Jared Isaacman is working to raise the status of commercial spaceflight from fun adventure tourism to serious science and daring exploration,” Jordan Bimm, a space historian at the University of Chicago and author of the book Anticipating the Astronaut, told The Independent earlier this month.

“Isaacman has also been advocating Nasa to let him conduct a commercial mission to the Hubble Space Telescope to extend its operational life.”