SpaceX launches four passengers on private mission for spacewalk attempt

Passengers will float outside craft for about two hours during five-day journey

A SpaceX Falcon 9 carrier rocket with the Dragon crew capsule lifts off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 10. AFP

SpaceX launched four crew on a private space mission on Tuesday, which will include the first all-civilian spacewalk.

A Falcon 9 rocket carried billionaire Jared Isaacman and three others into space from a Florida spaceport, with the Dragon passenger capsule set to climb 1,400km above Earth – the farthest humans have been since the Apollo 17 mission to the Moon in December 1972.

The five-day civilian mission was announced in 2022 as part of the broader Polaris programme, funded by chief executive of payment processing firm Shift4 Mr Isaacman, but was delayed several times because of the complexity of the mission.

“Furthest from Earth that humans have been in over half a century,” SpaceX founder Elon Musk said hours before lift-off.

The Polaris Dawn crew in the Dragon capsule. Photo: SpaceX

The Dragon capsule will gradually lower its altitude to 700km on the third day of mission so that Mr Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis can perform the history-making spacewalk.

They will exit the craft and float out into the darkness of space for about two hours.

Salem Al Marri, director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, which oversees the nation's astronaut and lunar programme, told The National that he believed this mission was helping to push the boundaries of space exploration.

“The orbit that they are going to – the height – is something that hasn't happened for a very long time, since the Apollo days, and that's exciting for somebody like myself,” he said. “I think the view from Earth that they will get is going to be very different than what astronauts have been getting over the past 30 to 40 years.”

Spacewalks have traditionally been carried out by highly trained astronauts who undergo extensive preparation, often using underwater simulations to mimic the weightlessness of space.

These missions typically take place at altitudes around 400km above Earth, usually at the International Space Station and China's Tiangong space station.

“This first private spacewalk, or at least attempting to come out of a spacecraft without using the typical EMU or Orlan suits [worn by Nasa, European and Russian astronauts] is also something that's unique,” said Mr Al Marri. “We will be watching that as space enthusiasts as well as employees of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.”

SpaceX has developed a new spacesuit for the walk, designed to improve flexibility and mobility.

It includes a high-tech helmet and enhanced thermal management to maintain astronauts' comfort in space. The mission, which includes US Air Force Lt Col Scott Poteet and SpaceX engineer Anna Menon, will also test SpaceX’s Starlink communication system in space for the first time.

Currently, the Starlink fleet is used to provide high-speed internet access to remote and underserved areas worldwide.

It is hoped the test during the Polaris Dawn mission will demonstrate how well the laser connection is between Starlink satellites and the Dragon capsule, which could prove useful in future long-duration missions. Polaris Dawn will be SpaceX's fifth crewed private space mission, with another – Fram2 – scheduled for later this year.