SpaceX embarked on the ambitious Polaris Dawn mission on Tuesday, a multi-day orbital journey with a four-person civilian crew set to conduct the first spacewalk by non-professional astronauts.
The mission, led by Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman, aims to venture further into space than any manned mission in over fifty years, achieving a maximum altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers).
"Liftoff of Polaris Dawn!" SpaceX said on X (formerly Twitter), alongside a photo of the take-off.
The crew – a billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military fighter pilot and two SpaceX employees – lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida about 5:23 a.m. EST (0923 GMT).
The capsule reached orbit about nine and a half minutes later, and the crew batted around a small plush astronaut toy dog as free fall - zero gravity - became apparent. Crew Dragon separated from its support trunk three minutes after that, with onboard cameras revealing a spectacular view of the capsule over the sunlit Earth.
"As you gaze toward the North Star remember that your courage lights the map for future explorers," SpaceX Launch Director Frank Messina told the crew by radio. "We trust your skills, your bravery and your teamwork to carry out the mission ahead. ... We are sending you hugs from the ground."
The highlight of the mission will be the first spacewalk composed entirely of non-professionals, who are wearing sleek, newly developed SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) suits outfitted with heads-up displays, helmet cameras and an advanced joint mobility system.
Applause broke out across the mission control center as the Dragon capsule separated successfully from the main engine and the first glimpses of Earth came into view.
"The Polaris Dawn crew is now in Zero-G!" SpaceX wrote on X minutes later, as the crew experienced their first taste of zero-gravity.
On the first day of their mission, the craft will travel so high that it will briefly enter the Van Allen radiation belt, a region teeming with high-energy charged particles that can pose health risks to humans over extended periods.
The mission was delayed several times, initially due to a technical issue with the launch tower and then because of weather constraints.
The Crew Dragon capsule will not dock with the International Space Station, which is why the weather had to be favorable during both the launch and splashdown phase, around six days after liftoff.
(With agency inputs)
