SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Launches Historic Private Spacewalk Mission
Context:
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center on September 10, 2024, carrying American billionaire and three others into orbit for the world’s first private spacewalk.
More on News:
- This mission, named Polaris Dawn, is the first of three planned under the Polaris Program, a collaborative effort between American billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX, led by Elon Musk.
- The program is designed to develop technologies for potential future human missions to Mars.
- The mission experienced delays before its successful launch. Originally slated for August 28, the launch was postponed due to a helium leak and further delayed by adverse weather conditions around Florida.
What is a Spacewalk?
- A spacewalk, or Extravehicular Activity (EVA), involves an astronaut working outside a spacecraft in the vacuum of space.
- The first spacewalk was conducted by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov on March 18, 1965, during the Space Race. Leonov’s historic walk lasted just 10 minutes.
- Today, spacewalks typically occur outside the International Space Station (ISS) and can last between five and eight hours.
- They are used for various purposes including conducting scientific experiments, testing new equipment, and repairing satellites.
- Astronauts must wear specialised spacesuits and use safety tethers or SAFER (Simplified Aid for EVA Rescue) devices to prevent floating away into space.
- Outer space is commonly considered to start around 62 miles (100 kilometres) above sea level at the Kármán line. This is an imaginary boundary where the atmosphere is too thin to breathe or scatter light effectively. Anything flying below this altitude is called an aircraft and above the line as a spacecraft.
Key Highlights:
- The spacewalk for the Polaris Dawn mission is scheduled for September 12, 2024.
- Throughout the five-day mission, the crew will conduct 40 scientific experiments, including:
- X-ray Imaging: Attempting to capture X-ray images using natural radiation in space without a traditional X-ray machine.
- Laser-Based Communication: Testing SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network for satellite-to-satellite communication without relying on ground-based infrastructure.
Mission Objectives and Spacewalk Details:
- The mission’s primary goal is to reach an altitude of approximately 1,400 km, surpassing the 1,372 km achieved by NASA’s Gemini XI mission in 1966.
- This altitude places the crew within the inner Van Allen radiation belts, where they will study the effects of spaceflight and radiation on human health.
- The primary objective of the spacewalk is to test SpaceX’s new EVA spacesuits, which feature built-in cameras, heads-up displays, and advanced thermal management.
In “Strategic Challenges: India in 2030,” Jayadeva Ranade highlights several critical issues arising from the growing role of private companies in outer space. Companies such as Blue Origin, SpaceX, Virgin Galactic, Kuiper, OneWeb, and Starlink are transforming space activities with innovations in space tourism and satellite constellations. As private companies gain more autonomy, there is a risk of them developing anti-satellite weapons and creating quasi-nation-states in space. To address these challenges, there is a need for new strategic frameworks and proactive responses, drawing parallels with cybersecurity measures.