Hotspot丨SpaceX's "Polaris Dawn" starts its first commercial spacewalk
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At around 19:00 Beijing time on September 12, the manned [Dragon] spacecraft of the U.S. Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) successfully completed the first commercial spacewalk mission performed by non-professional astronauts.
12 minutes after launch, the Polaris Dawn crew separated from the rocket and the spacecraft successfully entered a large elliptical parking orbit with a perigee of 190 kilometers, an apogee of 1,200 kilometers, and an inclination of 51.6 degrees. After eight orbits, the spacecraft maneuvered to bring the apogee to 1,400 kilometers.
That's three times the altitude of the International Space Station and the highest altitude humans have flown since the last Apollo mission in 1972.
The mission is called the [first commercial spacewalk] because all the participants were non-professional astronauts.
They include mission leader Jared Isaacman, two SpaceX engineers, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, and Isaacman's longtime partner, retired U.S. Air Force pilot Scott Poteet.
It is worth noting that most of Isaacman and Gillis' bodies were exposed outside the cabin, but their feet remained inside the cabin and did not completely leave the space capsule.
This is because their space suits are not equipped with independent oxygen supply equipment and need to be supplied with oxygen and ensure communications through an umbilical cord cable about 3.6 meters long.
New technology applications successfully assist flight plans
The Polaris Dawn mission will last for five days, during which they will test a range of new technologies, including high-orbit manned flight, the first commercial spacewalk (extraveling activity), Starlink-based laser space communications, and research on the health effects of space.
The [Polaris Dawn] mission covers four major activities: high-orbit manned flight, the first commercial spacewalk, laser space communication based on [Starlink] technology, and research on the health effects of space.
Polaris Dawn will be the first mission to test Starlink’s laser communications link in space, using the Dragon spacecraft’s unpressurized Plug and Play module to communicate with Starlink satellites throughout the mission.
After the Dragon spacecraft establishes a laser communication link with the Starlink satellite in orbit, the crew can access the ground Internet through the Wi-Fi router in the spacecraft, which is similar to a home router.
The outside world believes that this is a key step in SpaceX's exploratory manned space mission, whose main purpose is to verify the reliability of extravehicular space suits and master extravehicular activity technology.
The company's independently developed extravehicular spacesuit is a key equipment to support this mission. It inherits the sci-fi style of the cabin spacesuit that comes with the manned Dragon spacecraft, while making many improvements in the details.
For example, the joint part adopts the hard shell structure commonly seen in extravehicular space suits, while the life support system pipes are spread throughout the body, making the torso appear more bulky than the in-cabin space suit.
In addition, the extravehicular space suits used in this mission are not equipped with independent life support systems, but rely on the spacecraft to provide necessary life support substances. Therefore, astronauts must maintain a continuous connection with the spacecraft through the [umbilical cord] when leaving the cabin.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft has undergone a number of improvements to meet the needs of spacewalks, including the addition of oxygen supply equipment and nitrogen charging and discharging systems, and the installation of a [Skywalker] auxiliary structure near the hatch to facilitate the fixation and movement of astronauts when they exit the cabin.
In addition, a laser antenna is installed in the open cargo hold at the rear of the spacecraft, which can use the laser intersatellite link of the Starlink satellite for communication testing;
Ultimately, it will be possible to fully rely on Starlink's communication capabilities, thereby reducing dependence on NASA's TDRSS relay satellite system.
The exploration of space tourism services has gradually begun to commercialize
The American Space Adventures company started providing space tourism services very early on.
Since 2001, several tourists and foreign pilots have traveled to the International Space Station through their services, at a cost of approximately $20 million to $50 million.
Russia's Energia Technologies Production Corporation also offers lunar exploration tours, with each flight costing up to $150 million.
While that price is prohibitive for most people, the emergence of private space companies like SpaceX has reduced the cost of sending people and payloads into space.
In 2018, SpaceX announced the first private trip around the moon, with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa purchasing all the seats and planning to invite 10 friends to go along.
Media reports estimated that the cost of the trip was about $250 million, which means that if it was a trip around the moon, each person would need about $25 million. However, this year, the billionaire announced that he had canceled his trip around the moon.
Musk is fully prepared for the next phase of new tasks
Polaris Dawn marked the first flight of the Polaris Program, a manned space program.
The program envisions three launches, two of which will be commercial flights: one will use a [Falcon 9] rocket;
The other time will use SpaceX's new generation of heavy-lift launch vehicles [Starship] designed for landing on the moon and Mars.
The third mission would likely involve the first crewed flight of [Starship], with the goal of sending humans and cargo to Mars and other distant destinations.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that the company plans to launch an unmanned [Starship] spacecraft to Mars in the next two years to test the reliability of landing on the surface of Mars, according to the Daily Economic News.
Musk noted that once these spacecraft successfully land, SpaceX will carry out its first manned mission to Mars in four years, which will be an important milestone.
Because from then on, the frequency of spacecraft launches is expected to increase exponentially.
Musk said in April this year that SpaceX plans to launch an unmanned spacecraft to Mars within five years and launch a manned Mars mission within seven years.
2026: During the next Earth-to-Mars transfer window, the first unmanned interplanetary spacecraft will be launched to Mars to test the reliability of the landing.
2028: If the unmanned landing is successful, the first manned flight to Mars will take place.
2044: The goal is to establish a self-sustaining city on Mars, and the frequency of flights will increase exponentially.
Long term: Becoming a multi-planet species, increasing the possible lifespan of conscious existence by reducing dependence on a single planet.
Ending:
Since the State Council introduced policies to encourage the development of China's commercial space industry in 2014, China's commercial space industry has developed rapidly.
At present, China has established four commercial aerospace industrial parks with a total investment of 100 billion yuan, with 15 private rocket companies and dozens of private satellite companies.
Last year, China conducted 67 space launches, 19 of which were commercial launches. China's only commercial space launch site, Hainan Commercial Space Launch Site, is expected to welcome its first rocket launch mission in the second half of this year, officially starting commercial operations.
Space tourism in orbits more than 100 kilometers above the Earth will have huge market potential in the future.
From the production of rockets and the launch of satellites to the development of space tourism and the exploitation of space resources, a new era of space economy is gradually unfolding before us.
According to market research institutions, the global commercial space industry is expected to reach tens of billions of dollars by 2030.
Some references: Global Space Events: "Polaris Dawn successfully entered orbit and will conduct the first commercial spacewalk", Deep Technology: "SpaceX makes history again and successfully completes the first private spacewalk mission", Industry View: "SpaceX: Opening a new era of commercial spacewalks", Aerospace Power Outlook: "Humanity's first commercial spacewalk mission launched"
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