Jared Isaacman, the billionaire who led first all-private SpaceX mission, orders three...

[Shawn Knight]

In a nutshell: Jared Isaacman, the billionaire who commissioned and led SpaceX’s first all-private astronaut mission in 2021, has put in an order for three additional flights with Elon Musk’s firm. The first flight, which could take place before the end of 2022, will send four people further into space than any other mission in the last 50 years.

Isaacman will command the flight, known as Polaris Dawn, and will be joined by Scott Poteet, who served as the mission director for Inspiration4, along with SpaceX lead operation engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis.

They’ll conduct the first-ever private citizen spacewalk during the mission, test Starlink satellites and study how people deal with decompression sickness.

The second flight will utilize SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, the same model that was used back in September. The third flight, however, will rely on Space’s next-gen Starship spacecraft, which the company plans to also use for lunar landings and for trips to Mars.

Isaacman told The Washington Post after his first flight that he was awed by the wonder of space travel and was eager to have another go at it. “I just also felt like we got a lot of things done with Inspiration4, and I never wanted to potentially take away from that unless it could make a really good impact on the world,” he said.

Isaacman didn’t say how much he would be paying for the three additional missions with SpaceX, nor did he reveal how much the Inspiration4 mission cost outside of the fact that it was less than $200 million.

Isaacman expects to share more details about the three missions in the coming months.

Image credit: SpaceX

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https://www.techspot.com/news/93393-jared-isaacman-billionaire-who-led-first-all-private.html

 

[Uncle Al]

Hmmmmm ..... considering the success you have to wonder when SpaceX will have a trip to circle the moon and return, although considering the time I don't think it would be too popular, particularly with the probability of their toilet breaking down again. Not many paying passengers are going to be over joyed with "Space Diapers" ...... wonder if they will toss them out like they do on all the highways out West???

 

[OortCloud]

More playboys burning through vast amounts of fossil fuels so they can join the 'feckless space tool' club alongside founding father Jeff.

Edit: Maybe that was a bit harsh - Elon is doing something in space I suppose unlike Jeff whose ****-rocket is just a huge vanity project for him and his playboy passengers.

 

[emmzo]

Honestly, you have to be a billionaire before you judge these guys. I'd go to space myself and experience something extraordinary in a second and I won't care at all about well, basically, noise. This trend won't die until one of these guys actually dies up there.

 

[Aceseven]

If I was rich enough and the tech was there to just fly into space I'd do it too.

I wonder if its levels to peoples disdain for what others spend money on, like, is there someone b*tching about people flying in planes from their car during a 12hr road trip, then another shouting at cars cause his bike chain broke? or maybe a dude with aching feet cursing at a bike rider?

seems no matter what, someone, somewhere, probably hates you.

and if that is the case, just live your life anyway I say.