SpaceX has embarked on a groundbreaking Mission launching an all private astronaut crew into orbit this Mission known as Polaris Dawn took off at 5:24 a.m. eastern time from NASA's Kennedy Space Center it marks a significant milestone in space exploration aiming to reach an altitude three times higher than the International Space Station this Mission sets the stage for a new era of private space travel pushing the boundaries of what is possible beyond Earth's atmosphere the Polaris Dawn mission is not just about reaching New Heights it is about achieving unprecedented Feats in space exploration the crew carried by a SpaceX crew Dragon capsule includes Jared ISAC man the billionaire entrepreneur and founder of Shift 4 retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott kid potit and SpaceX Engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menan isaacman who previously funded the first all civilian SpaceX mission in 2021 is also financing this Mission their goal is to conduct the first space walk by non-government astronauts and gather vital data for future missions the mission aims to reach the highest orbital altitude achieved by humans since the Apollo moon landings in 1972 the crew will travel to an altitude of 870 Mi above Earth more than three times higher than the International Space Station this journey represents Humanity's furthest Venture from Earth in over half a century after weather delays the falcon9 rocket successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral Florida setting the mission on its path to make history one of the mission's most ambitious objectives is to conduct the first space walk by private astronauts once the spacecraft reaches a maximum altitude of 870 Mi it will descend to about 435 Mi at this point the crew will da specially design space suits and open the spacecraft's hatch exposing it to the vacuum of space Jared isaacman and Sarah Gillis will each spend approximately 15 minutes outside the hatch Tethered to the spacecraft inspired by NASA astronaut Ed historic spacewalk in 1965 this endeavor aims to gather crucial data while maintaining safety during their time in orbit the crew will test new space suits and Technologies designed to support future long duration missions to the moon and Mars This Mission marks the first use of Wi-Fi connectivity in the cabin provided by spacex's starlink System the insights gained from these tests will be invaluable for enhancing future space suits and Technologies SpaceX plans to leverage these findings to advance its capabil ities for upcoming lunar and Mars missions further solidifying its role in the future of space exploration the Polaris Dawn Mission exemplifies the collaboration between SpaceX and NASA highlighting the benefits of knowledge sharing in advancing space exploration Bill gon Meyer spacex's vice president of build and reliability emphasized this partnership stating we leverage off of what we learned from NASA in some ways and then we push it a little bit further in other areas this collabor operation allows both entities to test evaluate and ensure that they are moving forward in the right direction pushing the frontiers of human space flight the Polaris program spearheaded by Jared ISAC man is a pioneering effort to rapidly Advance human space flight capabilities it aims to push technological boundaries while raising funds and awareness for important causes on Earth Elon Musk commented on the mission highlighting its significance the at Polaris program astronaut mission is headed for an altitude three times higher than the space station the furthest that humans have been from Earth in over half a century if successful the dragon spacecraft will Splash down off the coast of Florida marking another historic chapter in private space travel