The launch of the SpaceX Polaris mission attracted attention: the first commercial spacewalk
12 september 2024 в 18:37
The launch of the SpaceX Polaris mission, which took place on Tuesday, September 10, attracted significant attention. On board the capsule were four civilians: Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman, SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis, and former US Air Force pilot Scott Poteet. They aimed to make history by conducting the first commercial spacewalk. After the successful completion of the mission in the early hours, many wondered how they could watch a replay of the spacewalk.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson acknowledged the achievement on Twitter, writing: «Congratulations @PolarisProgram and @SpaceX on the first commercial spacewalk in history! Today’s success is a huge step forward for the commercial space industry and @NASA's long-term goal of creating a vibrant American space economy».
Although the launch has already taken place, the mission can still be watched on the SpaceX website and their X page, formerly known as Twitter.
The Falcon 9 rocket was launched on September 10 at 5:23 am Eastern Time from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, near the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The first commercial spacewalk took place on Thursday, September 12, starting with a live broadcast at 6:12 am Eastern Time. The mission was declared completed at 7:59 am Eastern Time on SpaceX’s X page: «The Polaris Dawn spacewalk is complete, marking the first time commercial astronauts have completed a spacewalk from a commercial spacecraft! Congratulations @rookisaacman, @Gillis_SarahE, @KiddPoteet, @annawmenon and all SpaceX employees!»
In addition, Isaacman shared his experience during the live broadcast from a height of about 738 km above Earth, saying in a clip posted by the Polaris program on X: «SpaceX, we have a lot of work at home, but from here, Earth looks like a perfect world».
According to the Polaris program website, the mission is aimed at «supporting scientific research aimed at advancing human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration space flights, as well as the first test of Starlink laser communication in space».
The crew will spend five days in space before returning on Sunday, September 15
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson acknowledged the achievement on Twitter, writing: «Congratulations @PolarisProgram and @SpaceX on the first commercial spacewalk in history! Today’s success is a huge step forward for the commercial space industry and @NASA's long-term goal of creating a vibrant American space economy».
Although the launch has already taken place, the mission can still be watched on the SpaceX website and their X page, formerly known as Twitter.
The Falcon 9 rocket was launched on September 10 at 5:23 am Eastern Time from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida, near the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The first commercial spacewalk took place on Thursday, September 12, starting with a live broadcast at 6:12 am Eastern Time. The mission was declared completed at 7:59 am Eastern Time on SpaceX’s X page: «The Polaris Dawn spacewalk is complete, marking the first time commercial astronauts have completed a spacewalk from a commercial spacecraft! Congratulations @rookisaacman, @Gillis_SarahE, @KiddPoteet, @annawmenon and all SpaceX employees!»
In addition, Isaacman shared his experience during the live broadcast from a height of about 738 km above Earth, saying in a clip posted by the Polaris program on X: «SpaceX, we have a lot of work at home, but from here, Earth looks like a perfect world».
According to the Polaris program website, the mission is aimed at «supporting scientific research aimed at advancing human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration space flights, as well as the first test of Starlink laser communication in space».
The crew will spend five days in space before returning on Sunday, September 15
© Kolganov Andrey
