The New York Times reports, “After launching early on Tuesday, the billionaire Jared Isaacman and his crew traveled to altitudes not visited by any astronaut since the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and ’70s. … Two of them, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, have now gone farther from the planet than any other women ever.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Tag: NRO mission
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Polaris Dawn Mission from Florida
The New York Times reports, “At 5:23 a.m. Eastern time, a Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Less than 15 minutes later, the crew of four astronauts inside the Crew Dragon capsule — that will be their home for the next five days — were in orbit. The Polaris Dawn mission will mark some milestones for private spaceflight — the first spacewalk conducted by nonprofessional astronauts, and the farthest journey from Earth by anyone since NASA’s moon landings more than 50 years ago.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)
Video
SpaceX launches Polaris Dawn crew on first private spacewalk mission (Launch at 00:33 second mark)
(VideoFromSpace; YouTube)
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches On National Security Mission for NRO
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket with an undisclosed number of satellites on behalf of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The spacecraft, which are believed to be Starshield satellites, make up the third batch of what the NRO calls its ‘proliferated architecture.’” Liftoff of the NROL-113 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base took place at 8:20 p.m. PDT.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches from California on U.S. spy satellite agency mission (Launch at 00:30:29 mark)
(Spaceflight Now; YouTube)