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SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission experienced a loss of ground control hours before two private astronauts lifted off from the Dragon crew capsule for the first commercial spacewalk in history, according to a report from Reuters.
U The Polaris Dawn mission was launched on September 10carrying a crew of four, led by tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman. The billionaire-funded mission, aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon, reached a maximum orbital altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) above Earth, also setting a new record for apogee in Earth orbit (the farthest point far from the planet) for a crew. mission On September 12, Polaris Dawn became the first private mission to perform a spacewalkwith two astronauts, including Isaacman, stepping outside a SpaceX capsule for a historic moment that broke new ground for commercial spaceflight.
Things didn’t go so smoothly in SpaceX’s mission control room. An anonymous source told Reuters that a power outage at SpaceX’s facility in California caused a loss of ground control, meaning the mission control team was briefly unable to command the spacecraft. . Polaris Dawn crew members received training before launching into space, however, they are not professional astronauts.
“Not having command and control is a big deal,” the anonymous source told Reuters. “The whole point of having mission operators on the ground is to have the ability to respond quickly if something happens.”
Since SpaceX is a private company, the problem has not been reported publicly. Commercial space operators wishing to launch or re-enter US borders need a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure the safety of bystanders or nearby property on the ground, but the FAA is not responsible for the safety of people on board. the private spaceship. It is because a moratorium approved by Congress in 2004 temporarily prohibited the FAA from issuing regulations to protect the safety of people aboard space launches so as not to overburden the emerging space industry.
NASA has hired SpaceX to transport its astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard its Dragon spacecraft — essentially the same craft used to launch the Polaris Dawn mission. SpaceX informed NASA of the loss of ground control during the private mission, according to another anonymous source who spoke to Reuters. SpaceX has been NASA’s trusted commercial partner for years, launching nine crews to the orbital space station so far. In November, however, a NASA security panel warned SpaceX to focus on crew safety for its commercial trips to the ISS as the company ramps up its spaceflight activities.
President-elect Donald Trump tapped billionaire space enthusiast Isaacman to lead NASA as the new administrator of the space agency, who could have major implications on private industry becoming more involved in the national space program. I hope that from then on, crew safety will be regulated at a more formal level to prevent similar incidents. We’re not holding our breath.
