SpaceX delays launch of billionaire’s private spacewalk mission
Fin-tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, who founded payment firm Shift 4, has been the driving force behind the private spaceflight.
He is aiming to become the first non-professional astronaut to complete a private spacewalk and has organised and funded much of the project with SpaceX. He has declined to disclose how much he has invested.
The Polaris project uses a SpaceX Dragon capsule attached to the company’s Falcon 9 rocket to transport the crew.
They plan on reaching altitudes as high as 1,400km (870 miles), which if achieved would be the highest point reached by any crewed mission since Nasa’s Apollo programme more than 50 years ago.
The businessman is also captaining the crew, which consists of his close friend and retired US Air Force pilot Scott Poteet, and two SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis.
All four have spent two years training for the mission, dedicating thousands of hours to simulated drills.
