A spacecraft, with four people from the private sector onboard, has blasted off from the US state of Florida on a mission that includes a plan to carry out the first-ever commercial spacewalk.
The US company SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday. Jared Isaacman, who is the founder of a US IT company, is among the crewmembers.
The spacecraft entered orbit as planned about 10 minutes after the launch.
According to a plan that was released, the spacecraft will try to reach a point 1,400 kilometers above Earth. If successful, it will be “the highest Earth orbit ever flown since the Apollo program.”
The crew will conduct some research at the altitude. They will study the influence of radiation on human health and examine other issues.
On the third day, Isaacman and another crewmember will attempt to take a spacewalk wearing SpaceX-designed spacesuits. The attempt will be made about 700 kilometers from Earth. That is roughly 300 kilometers higher than the altitude of the International Space Station. If successful, it will be the first-ever commercial extravehicular activity.
The mission is part of the Polaris Program, which was initiated by Isaacman and others. One of the aims of the latest mission is to test a satellite communication network.
The crewmembers are scheduled to spend about five days in space before they return to Earth.