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SpaceX, Elon Musk’s private space company, is preparing to carry out the first commercial spacewalk in the history of space travel. This milestone is to be achieved as part of the Polaris Dawn mission, which is scheduled for launch in early 2024. This mission marks a significant step forward in the history of space travel and opens up new opportunities for the commercialization of space.
The spacewalk, also known as extravehicular activity (EVA), is a critical aspect of space travel that has so far been carried out exclusively by governments. The first spacewalk was performed by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov on March 18, 1965. He spent around 12 minutes outside his spaceship, which was an enormous technical challenge at the time. Since then, numerous astronauts from various nations have undertaken spacewalks, mainly for the maintenance and expansion of the International Space Station (ISS).
The upcoming Polaris Dawn mission will be led by Jared Isaacman, an American entrepreneur and experienced private pilot who also led SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission. This mission, which took place in 2021, was the first fully private manned spaceflight into Earth orbit. The Polaris Dawn mission now goes one step further by commercializing not only spaceflight but also spacewalking.
The planned spacewalk will be conducted by two crew members who will wear special space suits developed by SpaceX. These suits are an evolution of the suits used on previous SpaceX missions and have been specifically optimized for use in open space. The main objectives of the spacewalk are to test emergency protocols and to test systems to augment human activities in space.
This commercial spacewalk could have far-reaching implications for the future of space travel. It demonstrates the potential for private companies to carry out complex and dangerous missions that were previously the sole preserve of government space agencies. It could also open the door to future space tourists willing to pay large sums of money to walk in space themselves.
SpaceX has undergone impressive development since it was founded by Elon Musk in 2002. The company has not only developed reusable rockets, but has also successfully built the Dragon space capsule, which has already taken astronauts to the ISS several times. With the Polaris Dawn mission and the planned commercial spacewalk, SpaceX continues to establish itself as a pioneer in the space industry.
While the spacewalk as part of the Polaris Dawn mission is a historic step, it also commemorates the pioneers who paved the way for these developments. The first spacewalks in the 1960s were risky ventures carried out under extreme conditions. Today, almost 60 years later, spacewalks have become routine, but the commercialization of this activity shows how far technology and the accessibility of space have advanced.
The history of spacewalks and SpaceX’s role in advancing this technology underscores the dynamic development of the space industry. With each new step, such as the upcoming Polaris Dawn mission, the vision of commercial space tourism and opening up space to a wider public becomes more and more real.
