A SpaceX capsule was rocketed into orbit early Tuesday morning as part of a mission that is set to include the first spacewalk carried out by an all-civilian crew.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasted off just before dawn from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. It’s expected to carry the four-person crew some 870 miles above Earth’s surface, which would mark the highest orbital altitude humans have reached since the final Apollo moon mission in 1972. It would also be a record-setting height for an orbit around Earth, surpassing the milestone set by NASA’s 1966 Gemini 11 mission, which reached 853 miles.
“As you gaze towards the North Star, remember that your courage lights the path for future explorers,” Launch Director Frank Messina radioed after the crew reached orbit.
“We trust your skills, your bravery, and your teamwork to carry out the mission that lies ahead,” he continued. “Know that the entire team back here is with you every step, watching, supporting and cheering you on as you walk into space. We’re sending you hugs from the ground.”
Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of the payment processing company Shift4, is bankrolling the mission — dubbed Polaris Dawn — in partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. When asked whether he was willing to disclose how much he shelled out, Isaacman brushed off reporters, telling them: “Not a chance.” He also helped fund and participated in Inspiration4, SpaceX’s first all-civilian mission to orbit in 2021
The rest of the crew include retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet; and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both of whom are set to travel farther into space than any woman has so far.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Resilience capsule, carrying the crew of the Polaris Dawn Mission, lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 10, 2024. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
The mission will see them remain at the peak height, which is far beyond the International Space Station, for some 10 hours. Then the crew will reduce the oval-shaped orbit by half, putting them some 435 miles over Earth, which is still above the space station as well as the Hubble Space Telescope, the highest shuttle astronauts flew.
The spacewalk is slated to take place on the third day of the mission, with Isaacman and Gillis set to step through the hatch and out of the Crew Dragon spacecraft. They will exit one at a time for turns of 15 to 20 minutes each while still tethered to the ship, which does not have a pressurized airlock. That means the entire capsule will be depressurized and exposed to vacuum conditions, so all four crewmembers will be required to wear spacesuits.
The mission will also see them test new technologies — including new spacesuits, which are specifically designed to hold up against the harsh vacuum — before splashing back down off the coast of Florida later this week.
The successful launch on Tuesday comes weeks after after several weather delays in late August forced the mission’s postponement.