by Reuters Videos
SpaceX launches billionaire’s private crew for spacewalk
STORY: :: SpaceX/PolarisA billionaire, a retired U.S. Air Force pilot and two SpaceX employees launched Tuesday on a five-day mission designed to test new spacesuits in the vacuum of space.The mission’s Falcon 9 booster rocket successfully separated from the capsule and landed safely back on a sea-based capsule.About nine minutes after launch, the capsule reached orbit, and the crew played with a small stuffed dog in zero gravity.It is Crew Dragon’s fifth — and riskiest — private mission yet, as the crew must exit the capsule in what’s known as a spacewalk.::NASA TVIn the past, only well-trained, well-funded government astronauts have attempted spacewalks.This mission will involve Jared Isaacman, the 41-year-old billionaire founder of electronic payments company Shift4, who is funding the mission. He has already been to space once in 2021 and has declined to say how much he is paying for the missions, but they will likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars. He will be joined by Scott Poteet, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, and two SpaceX engineers: Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. For the spacewalk in two days, the entire capsule will be depressurized and the crew will rely on their spacesuits for their oxygen supply. Isaacman and Gillis will exit the capsule tethered to an oxygen line. Tuesday’s launch included a moment of wonder when the Crew Dragon separated from its support body in orbit and onboard cameras showed a spectacular view of the capsule above sunlit Earth.
