American billionaire’s first words as he did Elon Musk’s first SpaceX private spacewalk
- American billionaire is the first to complete commercial spacewalk
- The mission was to test out a SpaceX spacesuit.
- Labeled Polaris Dawn, it’s said to be Elon Musk’s riskiest mission
Published on Sep 13, 2024 at 3:12 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Sep 13, 2024 at 6:48 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
An American billionaire became the first person to perform a commercial spacewalk as part of an Elon Musk SpaceX mission.
The historic event was part of a mission to test out the newly-designed SpaceX spacesuit.
Labeled Polaris Dawn, this is said to be Elon Musk’s riskiest mission to date.
It took place yesterday around 11:00am BST following four hours of delays.
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Words following SpaceX spacewalk
“It looks like a perfect world…it’s gorgeous,” exclaimed mission commander Jared Isaacman from the exterior of the Crew Dragon capsule at an altitude of 700km (435 miles).
A seat on a Crew Dragon costs around $55 million and they were blasted further from Earth than any human in half a century.
“It took a huge team effort to get to this point, it’s just historic,” the 41-year-old said to cheers of joy and relief from the assembled squad.
A camera was attached to Isaacman to livestream the 12-minute spacewalk and it was watched by millions below.
He was followed by SpaceX engineer, Sarah Gillis.
Spacewalks are considered to be one of the most dangerous activities undertaken by astronauts in orbit.
Something as simple and innocuous as a suit malfunction could prove deadly.
The pair waved their arms before reaching down and turning clockwise, demonstrating their freedom to use tools as they floated above the capsule.
“Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and NASA’s long-term goal to build a vibrant US space economy,” Bill Nelson, NASA’s highest-ranking official, said to congratulate SpaceX.
Elon Musk spacesuit mission
The Polaris Dawn mission tested out futuristic new spacesuits for SpaceX.
Groundbreaking technology allows them to be far slimmer than standard NASA suits, which are fitted with multiple protective layers.
“It’s kind of like a suit of armor made of fabric,” Erik Kraus, SpaceX’s principal spacesuit engineer, said before blastoff.
As well as testing the new threads, the five-day mission also hoped to conduct broader research hoped to lead future crewed missions from Earth to the Moon and Mars.
London-based Amelia cut her journalistic teeth covering all things lifestyle, wellness and luxury in the UK capital. Fast-forward a decade and the experienced content creator and editor has put pen to paper for glossy magazines, busy newsrooms and coveted brands. When her OOO is on you can find her spending quality time with her young family, in the gym or exploring the city she loves.
