Into the beyond.

Radiation Rodeo

SpaceX has officially launched four civilians into orbit as part of its long-awaited Polaris Dawn mission.

The company's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off early Tuesday morning after being delayed for several months due to bad weather and an accident that destroyed a different Falcon 9.

"Congratulations SpaceX team and the Polaris Program crew!!" SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted after the launch.

The mission is being led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, who made his first journey into space on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft as part of the company's first all-civilian trip around the Earth in 2021.

This time around, Isaacman and his three crewmates will venture into the Van Allen radiation belt, a region where charged particles are trapped by the planet's magnetosphere.

As a result, they will receive the equivalent of several months' worth of radiation on board the ISS, collecting important data for future crewed missions into deep space.

Spacewalker

Isaacman and his crew are also looking to accomplish a separate daring feat: the first-ever private spacewalk. Three days into their mission, the team will drain the entire spacecraft of breathable air. Isaacman and fellow crew member Sarah Gillis will then attempt to venture outside of the spacecraft while protected by SpaceX's newly-developed extravehicular activity (EVA) suits.

Besides being pummeled with huge amounts of space radiation and going for a spacewalk, the crew is also aiming to fly to the highest point any human has flown since the Apollo missions. Gillis and crewmate Anna Menon could also break the record for the farthest any woman has ever ventured into space.

The particularly hazardous mission is expected to take six days. It's a hard limit, as that's roughly how much oxygen the team has with them. De- and repressurizing the entire capsule is expected to eat considerably into their air supply.

So far, the mission has gone by without a hitch. If you want to follow their progress, SpaceX has set up a website showing the mission's exact location.

We'll be keeping a close eye on the adventure, so stay tuned.

More on the mission: SpaceX Preparing to Drain All Air From Spacecraft While Astronauts Are Inside


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