Despite technical difficulties, SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has set a historic record in commercial spaceflight. On September 10, the Crew Dragon capsule, piloted by a four-person team led by entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, reached a record orbital altitude of 1,400 kilometers above Earth. This is a new high for a near-Earth manned mission. Two days later, the mission performed the world’s first private spacewalk, which included Isaacman and another crew member on September 12. This event opened new prospects for commercial missions.
At the same time, as Reuters recently learned, there were technical problems during the mission. Due to a power outage at the SpaceX plant in California, the flight control team lost control of the capsule. Although the incident did not last long, it caused serious concern among experts. The primary function of the ground team is to respond quickly to emergencies, so such outages undermine confidence in the safety of commercial spaceflight.
Since SpaceX is a private company, information about this problem has not been publicized. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is responsible for the safety of the Earth but does not regulate the protection of passengers on private missions. This is due to a moratorium approved by Congress in 2004 that allows the private sector to develop without over-regulation. Therefore, the Polaris Dawn crew was not actually protected by safety regulations such as those that apply to government missions.
According to other Reuters sources, SpaceX admitted to NASA about the temporary loss of control during the Polaris Dawn mission. Despite this, the company remains a reliable partner for NASA, providing transportation for astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has already flown nine successful missions to the ISS, but in November, NASA urged the company to increase its focus on crew safety on commercial flights. The growth in space launches requires stricter control of potential risks.
Despite the incident, the Polaris Dawn mission demonstrates the enormous potential of private spaceflight. It opens the door to new technologies and opportunities, but also reminds us of the need to improve safety standards. In the future, the integration of the private sector into national space programs must be accompanied by increased regulation to avoid similar problems.
We previously reported on how one crew member’s vision deteriorated during the Polaris Dawn flight.
