(Bloomberg) -- SpaceX launched a rocket carrying four private astronauts to space, part of a groundbreaking mission aimed at performing the world’s first commercial space walk.
The Elon Musk-led company’s Falcon 9 lifted off from Florida at around 5:24 a.m. local time on Sept. 10, according to a live webcast of the event.
On board the mission, called Polaris Dawn, is billionaire Jared Isaacman, who previously flew to orbit with SpaceX in 2021 and provided funding for the flight and its development. Flying with him are the two lead SpaceX engineers, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, as well as Isaacman’s friend and former Air Force pilot, Scott “Kidd” Poteet.
The signature moment of the mission is set to occur on the third day of the flight, when Isaacman and Gillis plan to step outside of an open hatch on their Crew Dragon spacecraft and each perform a space walk. The two will go out one at a time for about 15 to 20 minutes each while tethered to the vehicle.
The entire Polaris Dawn mission should last roughly five days before the crew return back to Earth, splashing down off the coast of Florida.
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