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Power outage at SpaceX: control of spaceship and crew lost!
Uelzen in focus: A power outage at SpaceX during the Polaris Dawn mission raises questions about private space travel.
Power outage at SpaceX: control of spaceship and crew lost!
During a recent SpaceX mission there was a shock for the astronauts: While the “Polaris Dawn” mission with four private astronauts orbited the Earth, SpaceX lost control of the “Crew Dragon” space capsule for at least an hour. How az-online.de reported, a power outage at a SpaceX facility in California was responsible for this loss of control. CEO Elon Musk did not respond to inquiries about this incident. Inside the capsule were billionaire Jared Isaacman, pilots Scott Poteet and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. Despite the loss of control, the capsule was connected to the ground via the “Starlink” satellite network.
The incident raises questions about security and transparency in private space travel. While SpaceX has assured that it has informed NASA of the event, it remains unclear whether the FAA was notified of the incident. This situation could also highlight conflicts of interest in future space policy under a possible Trump administration, as Isaacman is being discussed as a possible NASA administrator, according to the report.
Star line-up for space travel
Also attending a space event in Florida were former President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, who traveled long distances to witness the first corporate launch of American astronauts from U.S. soil in nearly a decade. How Fox News reported However, the highly anticipated mission was canceled due to poor weather conditions, underscoring the challenging nature of the space industry. Trump, seeking to boost his 2020 election chances, was keen to use the trip to highlight positive achievements in American space travel, while at the same time criticizing the economic fallout from the pandemic that is weighing on the country.
The next chance for the rocket launch was set for Saturday. In these turbulent times, private space travel demonstrates not only our technological advances, but also the challenges that companies and political actors face to succeed in a highly competitive and rapidly changing environment.