SpaceX has today completed the first ever privately-funded spacewalk sharing a live feed of audio and video as the spacewalk was completed.
On Tuesday (10 September) SpaceX‘s Polaris Dawn mission set off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida with four people on board.
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The crew consists of billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman, retired US Air Force Lt Colonel Scott Poteet, and mission specialists (and SpaceX employees) Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.
Isaacman said upon stepping out of the craft: “Back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here Earth sure looks like a perfect world.”
He is now the first non-professional astronaut to walk in space.
A report on the space economy published last year by research and analysis company GlobalData predicted the momentous moment when space travel left the hands of government and defense companies.
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By GlobalDataThe report states “Space is no longer the sole domain of governments. Technological advances in manufacturing, propulsion, and the launch of rockets have made it much easier and less expensive to venture into space.
“Those businesses that pursued emerging opportunities have gained a first-mover advantage.” and specifically of the SpaceX travel plans “SpaceX was the first private company to launch a spacecraft into orbit and return it safely to Earth, [and] today is charging clients $67m per launch of the Falcon 9.”
SpaceX is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launch service provider and satellite communications company.
The company behind the spacewalk is headquartered at the SpaceX Starbase near Brownsville, Texas and is owned by Elon Musk with 42% equity and 79% voting control.
The crew shared views from 435 miles above earth with the SpaceX team back at home and will return to earth on Saturday.
Mission specialist Sarah Gillis followed Isaacman’s spacewalk with one of her own before returning safely to the spacecraft.
