A SpaceX capsule carrying four private citizens lifted off early Tuesday on a five-day mission that is set to include the first spacewalk by an all-civilian crew.
The mission, known as Polaris Dawn, lifted off at 5:24 a.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The journey is designed to take the four crew members to the highest orbital altitude humans have reached since the last Apollo mission to the moon in 1972: 870 miles above the Earth's surface. That's more than three times higher than the International Space Station.
While in space, the team will test new spacesuits and technologies that could pave the way for future long-duration missions to the Moon and eventually Mars.
The four-person crew consists of billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4; retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet; and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillies and Anna Menon. Isaacman, who previously funded and participated in SpaceX’s first all-civilian mission to orbit in 2021, is funding the Polaris Dawn mission in partnership with SpaceX.
The crew members launched into orbit in the Crew Dragon capsule aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.
Shortly after the capsule reached orbit, Isaacman thanked everyone who supported the mission and went out to watch the launch.
“We appreciate it. We'll get to work now,” he radioed to controllers on the ground.
The spacewalk is scheduled for Thursday at 2:23 a.m. ET. SpaceX will broadcast the event live. The company said there is an option for a backup spacewalk on Friday if needed.
During the spacewalk, Isaacman and Gillis are expected to exit the Crew Dragon spacecraft on a tether, but because the spacecraft does not have a pressurized airlock, the entire capsule will be depressurized and exposed to a vacuum. So all four astronauts will be wearing and testing new spacesuits during the spacewalk.
If successful, the mission will make history. Previously, only astronauts from government space agencies had ventured into the vacuum of space to build or upgrade space stations in orbit, repair satellites, and conduct scientific experiments.
During the mission, the Crew Dragon capsule's orbit will be distant enough for the spacecraft to pass through the inner regions of the Van Allen radiation belts, a region of high-energy radiation particles trapped by Earth's magnetosphere.
This will allow scientists to study the effects of space radiation on astronauts and the vehicle. The results could help SpaceX plan future missions to the Moon and Mars, which would require astronauts to fly through the inner and outer Van Allen radiation belts.
In a statement following the launch of X, the Polaris Dawn team outlined its lofty goals.
“Our collective interest in space must be neither too big to fail nor too expensive to succeed,” the crew wrote. “It must be a sustained effort to unlock the mysteries of the universe and, in the process, make life here on Earth better. As we embark on our journey today, know that we wish you all the best in our shared explorations.”
Polaris Dawn launch was originally scheduled for late August but was delayed after helium leak detected at the launch pad, and then delayed again due to bad weather off the coast of Florida, where the SpaceX capsule was scheduled to splash down, ending the mission.
Isaacman launched the Polaris program in partnership with SpaceX to test technologies and maneuvers for exploration beyond Earth orbit. Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned space missions the billionaire is funding. He has not disclosed the cost of the program or the possible goals and timing of other missions.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com