A billionaire, a pilot and two SpaceX employees took off from Florida today on a mission that should mark a new stage in commercial space exploration - the first private spacewalk in history. Kurir.rs.

"Elon Musk's Polaris Dawn takes off," X's company announced alongside footage of the Falcon 9 rocket taking off from the Kennedy Space Center.

Polaris Dawn launches to orbit pic.twitter.com/sxZjJXBjzG

— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 10, 2024

Takeoff has been delayed several times in the past two weeks, mostly due to bad weather.

The spacewalk is scheduled for Thursday, halfway through the five-day flight.

Polaris Dawn Live Broadcast:

– Furthest from Earth that humans have been in over half a century

– First private spacewalk

https://t.co/cWd6NxO1Fr

- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 10, 2024

If all goes according to plan, it will be the first private spacewalk, but without leaving the capsule.

Spacewalks, one of the riskiest tasks during spaceflight, were undertaken only by professional astronauts who still routinely do so today aboard the International Space Station in Earth orbit.

From the crew of Polaris Dawn pic.twitter.com/51A1bKnNXc

— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 10, 2024

At a press conference before the flight, billionaire and one of the participants in the mission, Jared Isaacman, refused to say how much he invested in the flight. "No way," he said.

SpaceX is partnering with Isaacman to pay for spacesuit development and other costs.

"I wasn't born when people walked on the moon. "I would certainly like my children to see people walking on the moon and Mars and exploring the solar system," said the 41-year-old billionaire before the mission.