Key events
Space capsule depressurisation begins
This will take about 8 minutes as they empty the cabin of air.
There is no airlock in the capsule. In a few moments, it will be completely depressurised and the whole crew – including the two who will remain inside – will rely on spacesuits for oxygen.
Isaacman and Gillis will exit but be tethered via what is call an “umbilical”. These are 12 feet long and provide air and cooling, plus as a SpaceX commentator just said, to make sure “they are not gonna go floating off into space”.
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We can now hear a hissing. This is normal as the spacesuits are being pressurised with so the crew can do an air leak check before opening the door.
SpaceX confirms mission is “Go for spacewalk”
The crew have just received confirmation they can proceed following some intial checks.
So why is this a big deal?
Many reasons but here are three big ones:
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This would be a major milestone for efforts by private companies (such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Boeing and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin) to take on the role that has so far been the sole domain of government agencies. Only well-funded state-run agencies, such as Nasa and Russia’s Roscosmos, have so far managed to carry out spacewalks.
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The crew are also testing slimmed-down spacesuits designed by SpaceX (which look very sci-fi).
Essentially, this mission is a proof of concept that will lead to easier and cheaper access to space.
We have images from inside the capsule. The crew are in their suits and Isaacman is floating around.
If you’re watching the video feed, you’ll have heard that the crew is “initiating seat rotation”. (Non space nerd translation: they are moving the furniture so they can move around easily)
Welcome to the blog
Hundreds of kilometres above the earth, two people are preparing right now to exit a space capsule as part of the world’s first commercial spacewalk attempt.
Jared Isaacman, 41, a billionaire who chartered the Polaris Dawn mission, and Sarah Gillis, 30, a senior engineer at SpaceX are currently donning their custom-built spacesuits.
Down on the ground, I’m Oliver Holmes, and I will be taking you through each step of the process.
