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SpaceX to host first-ever private spacewalk for billionaire Isaacman, turn him into first space tourist

SpaceX to host first-ever private spacewalk for billionaire Isaacman, turn him into first space tourist

Astronaut exists Polaris Dawn mission's rocket.

Elon Musk's SpaceX is gearing up to take its first step in the world of space tourism.

The company, in a press conference, said that its Polaris Dawn mission will be launched on August 19 and fintech billionaire Jared Isaacman will be taken into space for a private spacewalk - the first one to be held in the world.

The Polaris Dawn mission went through various reschedulingand its date July 31 was again postponed to August 19.

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The date was postponed after the rockets of the company exploded in July, although the official reasoning which led to the blast was said to be traffic-related.

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During the press conference, the director of SpaceX's Dragon mission management Sarah Walker said, "There's a lot going on on [the International Space Station] right now. We opted to fly the Crew-9 mission as our next [astronaut] mission and are ready to fly Polaris Dawn in late summer, as soon as we fulfill those obligations."

She later said that "late summer" hinted at some point in August,noted Space.com.

Isaacman and the crew prepare for 'ghost ride' in space

Isaacman has earlier flown on a SpaceX rocket when he went on anincredibly expensive orbital vacationin 2021.

This is not the first time a mission has missed the launch dates. According to Space.com, Polaris Dawn was earlier scheduled to be launched in 2022, however, it was time and again pushed back.
Considering the official reason for the postponement, it is not clear if the most recent postponement happened because of the Falcon 9 explosion or not.

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After the Polaris Dawn mission gets launched, it will not link up with the ISS but will take Isaacman and his comrades farther from the orbit of the moon.

Apart from postponements, it will be an incredible experience to see Isaacman and the crew depart on a 'ghost ride' and become the first space tourist.

(With inputs from agencies)

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