O’Keefe Quoted in Agence France Presse Article on the SpaceX Commercial Spacewalk

September 16, 2024

Agence France Presse

Sean O'Keefe

Public Administration & International Affairs Department

Autonomous Systems Policy Institute

Campbell Public Affairs Institute

Space Exploration

United States

Agence France Presse

Sean O'Keefe

The SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, comprised of a crew of four private citizens, launched last week from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, journeying deeper into the cosmos than any humans since the Apollo era.

Since the spacecraft doesn't have an airlock, the entire crew were exposed to the vacuum of space while they performed extravehicular activity. Two members took turns outside the vehicle while the others remained strapped in througout as they monitored vital support systems.

“The risk is greater than zero, that's for sure, and it's certainly higher than anything that has been accomplished on a commercial basis,” says University Professor Sean O'Keefe, former NASA administrator.

Read more in the Agence France Presse article, “ SpaceX makes history with first spacewalks by private citizens.”