SpaceX reportedly lost contact with the astronauts’ private mission ahead of the historic spacewalk

SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission reportedly lost control of Earth for an hour before two private astronauts exited their Dragon Crew capsule on the first commercial spacewalk. a report By Reuters.

the The Polaris Dawn mission was launched on September 10with a crew of four people on board, led by technology entrepreneur Jared Isaacman. The billionaire-funded mission, aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, reached a maximum orbital altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) above Earth, also setting a new record for Earth orbit apogee (the furthest point reached away from the planet) for a manned crew. a task. On September 12, Polaris Dawn became the first private spacewalkwith two astronauts, including Isaacman, stepping outside a SpaceX capsule for a historic moment that opened new horizons for commercial spaceflight.

Things may not have gone smoothly inside SpaceX’s mission control room. An anonymous source told Reuters that a power outage at SpaceX’s California facility caused a loss of ground control, meaning the mission control team was briefly unable to fly the spacecraft. The Polaris Dawn crew members received training before launching into space, but they are not professional astronauts.

“The lack of command and control is a big deal,” the unnamed source told Reuters. “The whole point of having mission operators on the ground is to have the ability to respond quickly if something happens.”

Since SpaceX is a private company, the issue has not been reported publicly. Commercial space operators wishing to launch or return within U.S. borders need a license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to ensure the safety of bystanders or nearby property on Earth, but the FAA is not responsible for the safety of people on board. Private spacecraft. That’s because A Endowment Congress agreed in 2004 to temporarily bar the FAA from issuing regulations to protect the safety of people aboard space launches so as not to burden the nascent space industry.

NASA has appointed SpaceX to ferry its astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard its Dragon spacecraft — essentially the same vehicle used to launch the Polaris Dawn mission. SpaceX notified NASA of the loss of ground control during the special mission, according to another anonymous source who spoke with Reuters. SpaceX has been NASA’s trusted business partner for years, having sent nine crews to the orbiting space station so far. However, in November, NASA’s Safety Committee SpaceX warned to focus on crew safety For its commercial flights to the International Space Station at a time when the company is intensifying its spaceflight activities.

President-elect Donald Trump Billionaire space enthusiast Isaacman has been appointed to lead NASA As the new director of the space agency, which could have happened Significant implications for private industry Participate more in the national space program. Hopefully by then, crew safety will be regulated at a more formal level to prevent similar incidents. We’re not holding our breath.