Private Astronauts Prepare for Historic Spacewalk on Risky SpaceX Mission

A crew of four private astronauts is preparing for the first-ever private spacewalk aboard SpaceX's redesigned spacecraft. Launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, this mission includes a billionaire entrepreneur, a retired pilot, and two SpaceX engineers. The mission aims to expand knowledge on cosmic radiation and space’s human effects.

A crew of four private astronauts is in the final stages of preparation for an unprecedented SpaceX mission that will attempt the first-ever private spacewalk using the company's new spacesuits and redesigned spacecraft.

The team, consisting of a billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military fighter pilot, and two SpaceX employees, is set to launch at 3:38 a.m. ET from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This marks the fifth and riskiest private space mission for SpaceX. The mission was initially delayed due to a helium leak, which has since been fixed. Regulatory issues regarding a booster recovery failure further postponed the launch.

With the mission now set for a pre-dawn launch and only a 40% chance of favorable weather, the stakes are high. Elon Musk, SpaceX's CEO, emphasized that crew safety is paramount given the mission's high risk. The mission, named Polaris Dawn, will last approximately five days, featuring a spacewalk at 700 km altitude on the third day using SpaceX-built spacesuits, marking a significant milestone in private space exploration.

(With inputs from agencies.)