Four astronauts have launched a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket into space to perform the first privately funded spacewalk.

The mission, called Polaris Dawn, is funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, who heads the mission

He is joined by Scott Poteet, a retired US Air Force pilot, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.

Anna Menon, Scott Poteet, Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis pictured on the Falcon 9 rocket

To date, only government-sponsored astronauts have performed spacewalks.

The mission is the first of three (3) funded by Shift4 founder, billionaire Jared Isaacman.

The spacecraft, called Resilience, will enter an orbit that will eventually take them 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) above the planet. No human has gone that far since NASA’s Apollo program ended in the 1970s.

Polaris Dawn is set to spend five days in space. The mission will attempt the world’s first private spacewalk after launch into an elliptical orbit around Earth, with a maximum altitude of 1,400 kilometers (870 miles), and aims to test new spacesuit designs.

The launch took place at 10:23 BST (05:23 EDT) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A delay of nearly two hours followed due to “adverse weather conditions”.

The Polaris Dawn mission appears to be off to a good start, with commentators on SpaceX’s live stream saying “everything looks good” – as the first stage of the launch was underway.

They added that the crew appeared “comfortable” and that the crew were now able to “float free”.

If all goes well, on the third day of the mission, Mr Isaacman and Sarah Gillis are expected to attempt the first privately funded spacewalk, which is scheduled to last two hours.

This will be done while in a 700km orbit. The astronauts will test new extravehicular astronaut suits (EVAs), which, as their name suggests, have been upgraded from Space X’s intravehicular activity suits (IVAs) for work outside the spacecraft .

According to SpaceX, during their multi-day mission in orbit, they will also conduct 36 research studies and experiments from 31 partner institutions designed to promote both human health on Earth and during long-duration spaceflight. and test Starlink laser communications in space.

You can follow the progress of the Polaris Dawn mission via the SpaceX website

With information from BBC News and SpaceX