It’s difficult for the average person to imagine what they would do with billions, if they had it. But tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman seems to know exactly what he’s doing with his billions. Namely heading off on SpaceX flights, each funded by his own personal fortune. Isaacman made headlines not long ago after he bankrolled his own flight into outer space, but he doesn’t seem to be satisfied with just a single adventure.
It has been confirmed that he will be heading off on a second personally funded SpaceX flight. Only this time he aims to not only go higher into orbit, but also hopes to take part in a spacewalk. He won’t be going at it alone though, thank goodness. He will be accompanied by a pair of professional engineers, as well as an Air Force veteran.
The first flight in a planned 3 is due to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in November.
In The Name Of Science
But those assuming that Isaacman is doing this for his own personal enjoyment better think again. The stated purpose of the mission is to test out new technology, including a still in development spacewalking suit. Plus, if all goes according to plan, the billionaire will eventually even get to fly in a highly anticipated Starship. This is the same Starship that is intended to eventually travel to the moon, and even mars.
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The thought on everyone’s mind is that Isaacman has forked out unspecified millions, if not hundreds of millions, in order to make this all possible. But according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk it is all part of his company’s commitment to so called space tourism. A fun enough idea, though the situation does beg the question as to how many people on earth will ever afford to enjoy the same opportunity.
Going Higher Than Ever Before
As it stands the plan is that the Falcon 9 rocket will be blasting off in November. Once in orbit, the shuttle is intended to make full orbits around the Earth for up to 5 days. This in itself isn’t a ground-breaking feat, but what is exceptional is the heights that the capsule will be achieving. The September shuttle went beyond 585 kilometres, higher than the International Space Station. The November orbit is confirmed to be higher than Gemini 11, which achieved a staggering 1,373-kilometre orbit.
In a brief statement the billionaire talked about his hoped-for spacewalk, saying only that if humans ever want to colonize Mars, they’ll certainly need better spacesuits. He didn’t elaborate beyond this, but does seem to be looking dramatically far into a hypothetical future as far as Mars colonization is concerned.
