Space travel has on Wednesday reached a historic milestone when SpaceX accomplished the first private spacewalk of a tech billionaire. It is remarkable to note that this achievement of the SpaceX has opened way for further full fledge space tourism in the future.
The Mission
A launch that SpaceX calls “SpaceX Private Spacewalk” arrived at the sky via a Falcon 9 that took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The craft carried two astronauts’ who were expected to perform a series of spacewalks which are also referred to as EVAs (Extravehicular activities). The spacewalks were planned for the purpose of evaluating the functionality of the spacecraft and its occupants as well as to show the capacity of private citizens to venture into space without the help of a professional astronaut.
The Tech Billionaire
The tech billionaire who ordered for the private spacewalk is an ousted astronaut and a successful businessman in the tech industry. He has always had investments in SpaceX and even sponsored them largely to achieve this dreams of changing the space industry. The name of the billionaire has been kept unknown but people are saying that he is one of the richest persons on the face of the earth.
The Spacewalk
But even the spacewalk as such was an impressive thing. The two astronauts saw in the space for a few hours to perform several activities and experiments in space. They used the extravehicular activity to demonstrate the movement and maneuverability of the spacecraft, checked the life-support systems, and performed some maintenance exercises as well as the spacesuited EVA’s to demonstrate the functions and capability of the spacecraft. The spacewalk was relayed in live television and this allowed millions of people around the world a view of the fantastic world of space travel.
The Significance of the Mission
In the SpaceX Private Spacewalk mission there are several factors that make the event rather valuable. Firstly there is a principal achievement as nobody could have thought that private space industry can succeed in launching spacecrafts and astronauts including the spacewalks. Secondly, it contributes to future commencement of space tourism that would be worth billions of dollars in financial returns. Last but not the least it revived the future in space technology and the prospect of space exploration in promoting the welfare of mankind.
The Future of Space Tourism
The mission that has been executed recently by SpaceX known as ‘Private Spacewalk’ could open a new chapter in the commercial exploitation of space tourist ventures. There are projected expectations that space tourism will become a huge business in the near future given that privately owned companies such as SpaceX and Virgin Galactic are already developing the market. It could help to produce billions of dollars in revenue, foster new employment and encourage future generations of scientist or engineers.
The Challenges Ahead
The Private Spacewalk mission organized by SpaceX is an example of a successful private space mission but for the private space industry there are still a lot of challenges waiting for the future. Obviously, security is one of the biggest issues because space travel is always dangerous in some way. One major difficulty is cost because space technology such as putting a spacecraft into orbit comes with a very steep price. Last is the matter of regulation and legal framework as governments of most countries today are in a process of deciding how to regulate the industry of private space exploration.
Conclusion
Finally it can be said that the SpaceX Private Spacewalk was a momentous event in the history of space exploration. This was a history moment of the private space business, proved the possibility of individual spacewalking also opened the possibilities for space tourism. This mission, however, is not without hurdles, but this, in a way, speaking highly of what has been achieved so far in technological achievements when it comes to space, coupled with the monumental possibilities that shuttle can bring to the doorsteps of humanity.
