Private astronaut crew prepares for historic spacewalk with SpaceX

On September 9, a crew of four private astronauts reached the final stages of preparation for a groundbreaking mission to attempt the first spacewalk using SpaceX’s new spacesuits and redesigned spacecraft, Azernews reports citing foreign media.

The team, including a billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military pilot, and two SpaceX employees, is scheduled to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on September 10 aboard the Crew Dragon capsule. This mission marks the fifth and most challenging personal spaceflight for SpaceX.

A previous launch attempt was delayed due to a minor helium leak in ground equipment, which has since been repaired. The Falcon 9 rocket, involved in an unrelated mission, failed to recover its booster, prompting additional inspections.

The Polaris mission is now set for a pre-dawn launch on Tuesday, although weather conditions are only 40 percent favorable, according to US Space Force launch weather analysts.