03:28Mandatory credit: SpaceX
SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission successfully lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Merritt Island on Tuesday, signaling a new era of civilian space exploration.
Footage shows the Falcon 9 rocket's ascent into space while carrying the four-person civilian crew. Meanwhile, the stage one booster can be seen landing on the 'Just Read the Instructions' droneship. Footage also shows the Dragon spacecraft separating from Falcon 9's second stage.
This is Dragon's 14th human spaceflight mission. The mission aims to conduct 36 scientific experiments from 31 partner institutions, raise money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and perform the first private spacewalk - which is scheduled to last two hours using SpaceX spacesuits.
The mission also plans to reach altitudes higher than any human has traveled since NASA's Apollo lunar program, aiming for a height of 870 miles above the surface.
"The @PolarisProgram 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!" wrote SpaceX founder Elon Musk on X, formerly known as Twitter.
According to SpaceX, the crew is also going to be testing Starlink laser-based communications in space during the mission.
Polaris Dawn ascends - SpaceX launches unprecedented spacewalk mission with four-person civilian crew
SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission successfully lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Merritt Island on Tuesday, signaling a new era of civilian space exploration.
Footage shows the Falcon 9 rocket's ascent into space while carrying the four-person civilian crew. Meanwhile, the stage one booster can be seen landing on the 'Just Read the Instructions' droneship. Footage also shows the Dragon spacecraft separating from Falcon 9's second stage.
This is Dragon's 14th human spaceflight mission. The mission aims to conduct 36 scientific experiments from 31 partner institutions, raise money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and perform the first private spacewalk - which is scheduled to last two hours using SpaceX spacesuits.
The mission also plans to reach altitudes higher than any human has traveled since NASA's Apollo lunar program, aiming for a height of 870 miles above the surface.
"The @PolarisProgram 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!" wrote SpaceX founder Elon Musk on X, formerly known as Twitter.
According to SpaceX, the crew is also going to be testing Starlink laser-based communications in space during the mission.
Mandatory credit: SpaceX
SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission successfully lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Merritt Island on Tuesday, signaling a new era of civilian space exploration.
Footage shows the Falcon 9 rocket's ascent into space while carrying the four-person civilian crew. Meanwhile, the stage one booster can be seen landing on the 'Just Read the Instructions' droneship. Footage also shows the Dragon spacecraft separating from Falcon 9's second stage.
This is Dragon's 14th human spaceflight mission. The mission aims to conduct 36 scientific experiments from 31 partner institutions, raise money for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital and perform the first private spacewalk - which is scheduled to last two hours using SpaceX spacesuits.
The mission also plans to reach altitudes higher than any human has traveled since NASA's Apollo lunar program, aiming for a height of 870 miles above the surface.
"The @PolarisProgram 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!" wrote SpaceX founder Elon Musk on X, formerly known as Twitter.
According to SpaceX, the crew is also going to be testing Starlink laser-based communications in space during the mission.