The Polaris Dawn crew (from left to right) includes SpaceX engineer Anna Menon, former US Air Force pilot Scott Poteet, billionaire Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis on a space trip - Photo: NATURE
Two other members who participated in this special mission but did not walk in space were former US Air Force pilot Scott Poteet (51 years old) and Ms. Anna Menon (39 years old, SpaceX's space operations director).
Fast growth
On social network X, SpaceX announced that the first spacewalk from the Crew Dragon spacecraft began at 10:12 GMT on September 12 (ie 17:12 Hanoi time). Previously, the upgraded Crew Dragon spacecraft was launched into space by a Falcon 9 rocket and carried four private astronauts into space early in the morning of September 10, starting the five-day Polaris Dawn mission.
According to the Washington Post, the Polaris Dawn mission is a major milestone for the growing private commercial space industry, helping the space economy gradually escape from government monopoly.
The British newspaper The Sunday Times cited statistics from the Space Foundation, a non-profit organization for aerospace activities in the US, in 2023, showing that the global space industry grew 8% compared to the same period in 2022, reaching 546 billion USD. In the next 5 years, the space industry is expected to reach a revenue of nearly 800 billion USD.
Notably, the commercial sector accounts for 78% of the total revenue of the entire global space economy. Observers say that the entire commercial space industry is expected to make major contributions to the entire space industry in general.
According to News Space Economy, the commercial space industry is undergoing growth and transformation with increasing launches, emerging technologies, and emerging markets shaping the future of the industry.
According to data from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), about 676 launches have been authorized since 1989. Notably, half of the more than 670 launches took place in the past five years, from 2019 to 2023. 2023 alone set a new record with 113 aviation operations, accounting for 17% of the industry's total operations since 1989.
Today's success represents a major step forward for the commercial space industry.
NASA Administrator BILL NELSON congratulates the crew of the Polaris Dawn mission and SpaceX on September 12.
Insider's share
According to the Washington Post, spacewalking is one of the most dangerous activities among space exploration activities that astronauts undertake. In 1965, American astronaut Ed White of NASA was the first American to perform a spacewalk.
Additionally, during the first spacewalk by private astronauts, the capsule of the Polaris Dawn mission flew higher than any human spaceflight mission since the Apollo mission to the Moon in 1972.
"This is just the beginning," said tech billionaire Isaacman, looking out at the endless, pitch-black space and the blue of the Earth at an altitude of more than 740km above the ground on September 12.
Previously, the head of payment processor Shift4 Payments "gave wings" to the Inspiration4 flight that will take another crew of private astronauts into Earth orbit for three days in 2021.
After the Polaris Dawn mission, Isaacman is planning two more space flights. According to Isaacman, the third mission in the Polaris Dawn space exploration program will be the first manned flight of Starship, SpaceX's next-generation giant rocket and spacecraft.
"We will go farther, faster and visit space for longer periods of time in the future. We need to do as much research as possible to prepare our astronauts for the future," former US Air Force pilot Poteet, who was also one of the four spacewalkers on September 12, told the Washington Post.
Strengthening public-private partnership
For NASA, as well as other government-run space agencies, government-private sector partnerships are critical to advancing the commercial space industry.
In addition to professional missions, NASA is also working with commercial partners to produce and deliver scientific instruments and robotic exploration technologies to the Moon. NASA is investing about $4 billion in developing this manned space exploration vehicle and plans to send astronauts to the Moon in the near future.
Meanwhile, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin are offering low-Earth orbit tours to astronomy and space science enthusiasts, allowing visitors to float in a weightless environment for a few minutes, viewing their planet from nearly 100km above the ground.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ky-nguyen-moi-cua-kinh-te-vu-tru-20240914083442343.htm
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