SpaceX launches billionaire astronaut further from Earth than any human in half a century
- SpaceX has launched four astronauts into space
- Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman is one of those onboard
- You can see it blast off in the clip below
Published on Sep 11, 2024 at 2:59 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Sep 11, 2024 at 11:36 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
SpaceX has launched four astronauts further from the Earth than any human has been since the Apollo space missions 50 years ago.
The rocket blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at around 5.30am local time on Tuesday (September 10).
There are four astronauts on board, including billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman.
The Polaris Dawn mission will see those on board spending five days in space and complete a spacewalk.
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The SpaceX mission will include the first privately-funded spacewalk
SpaceX confirmed the successful launch, sharing footage of the Falcon 9 rocket roaring off into the sky.
Shortly after blasting off, Falcon 9’s first booster stage disconnected and landed safely back on their landing pads – showcasing their reusability.
The astronauts will now spend a couple of days acclimatizing to their new environment, before attempting a spacewalk from the crew capsule on Thursday.
They will then begin the journey home, arriving around five days after they set off.
Those onboard will be using SpaceX’s new spacesuits – known as EVA or extra-vehicular activity – suits.
“The EVA suit provides greater mobility, external, a state-of-the-art helmet heads-up display and camera, new thermal management textiles, and materials borrowed from Falcon’s interstage and Dragon’s trunk,” according to details shared about the Polaris Dawn mission.
The five-day mission will see the astronauts go further from Earth than any human has for 50 years.
As well as being a chance to test the new EVA suits, Polaris Dawn will earn itself a spot in the history books as the first-ever privately funded spacewalk.
Who’s on board the spaceship?
Entrepreneur Issacman has an estimated net worth of around $2 billion and is an accomplished pilot, racking up more than 7,000 hours in the sky.
He also owns the Black Diamond Jet Team – the world’s largest private fighter jet fleet.
Issacman is joined by retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott Poteet, another seasoned pilot who has extensive experience using military jets.
Third onboard is SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis, who has worked training astronauts for the company.
She’s set to conduct the spacewalk with Issacman.
The trio are joined by SpaceX engineer Anna Menon, who will act as medical officer.
She’s got plenty of experience, having previously worked on mission control for both NASA and SpaceX missions, the Telegraph reports.
SpaceX has said the tests carried out by the four astronauts will be vital for future missions that will carry humans to the Moon and Mars.
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
