- SpaceX is set to undertake the first-ever private spacewalk, testing innovative equipment, including slim spacesuits and a cabin without an airlock.
- The crew will launch aboard a modified Crew Dragon craft, embarking on a spacewalk at an altitude of 700 km—the highest since NASA’s Apollo program in 1972.
- The five-day mission will follow an elliptical orbit ranging from 190 km to 1,400 km from Earth, exposing the crew and equipment to harsh space conditions, including the Van Allen belt, where radiation poses significant risks to electronics and human health.
- The spacewalk involves depressurizing the Crew Dragon cabin and exposing it to the vacuum of space.
- While only two crew members out of four will exit the spacecraft, all will rely on their spacesuits for life support.
- Preparation for the spacewalk includes a 45-hour process to fill the cabin with pure oxygen, removing nitrogen from the air.
- Unlike NASA missions, private ventures like this are not subject to U.S. safety standards for spaceflight.
Dig Deeper: Read about radiation risk in the space and role of the dense atmosphere of Earth in masking harmful radiation.
