CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A daredevil billionaire rocketed back into orbit Tuesday, aiming to perform the first private spacewalk and venture farther than anyone since NASA's Apollo moonshots.
Unlike his previous chartered flight, tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman shared the cost with SpaceX this time around, which included developing and testing brand new spacesuits to see how they'll hold up in the harsh vacuum.
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A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
A time exposure shows photographers as they document the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four as it launches from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
This image provided by SpaceX on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, shows a view of Earth and the Dragon capsule's Skywalker spacewalk platform shortly after the Polaris Dawn crew launched into an orbit. (SpaceX via AP)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
This image made from a SpaceX video shows the launch of the Polaris Dawn mission on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Tuesday Sept. 10, 2024. (SpaceX via AP)
If all goes as planned, it will be the first time private citizens conduct a spacewalk, but they won’t venture away from the capsule. Considered one of the riskiest parts of spaceflight, spacewalks have been the sole realm of professional astronauts since the former Soviet Union popped open the hatch in 1965, closely followed by the U.S. Today, they are routinely done at the International Space Station.
Isaacman, along with a pair of SpaceX engineers and a former Air Force Thunderbirds pilot, launched before dawn aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida. The spacewalk is scheduled for Thursday, midway through the five-day flight.
But first the passengers are shooting for way beyond the International Space Station — an altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers), which would surpass the Earth-lapping record set during NASA’s Project Gemini in 1966. Only the 24 Apollo astronauts who flew to the moon have ventured farther.
The plan is to spend 10 hours at that height — filled with extreme radiation and riddled with debris — before reducing the oval-shaped orbit by half. Even at this lower 435 miles (700 kilometers), the orbit would eclipse the space station and even the Hubble Space Telescope, the highest shuttle astronauts flew.
All four wore SpaceX’s spacewalking suits because the entire Dragon capsule will be depressurized for the two-hour spacewalk, exposing everyone to the dangerous environment.
Isaacman and SpaceX's Sarah Gillis will take turns briefly popping out of the hatch. They’ll test their white and black-trimmed custom suits by twisting their bodies. Both will always have a hand or foot touching the capsule or attached support structure that resembles the top of a pool ladder. There will be no dangling at the end of their 12-foot (3.6-meter) tethers and no jetpack showboating. Only NASA’s suits at the space station come equipped with jetpacks, for emergency use only.
Pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet and SpaceX’s Anna Menon will monitor the spacewalk from inside. Like SpaceX’s previous astronaut flights, this one will end with a splashdown off the Florida coast.
“We’re sending you hugs from the ground,” Launch Director Frank Messina radioed after the crew reached orbit. “May you make history and come home safely.”
Isaacman replied: “We wouldn’t be on this journey without all 14,000 of you back at SpaceX and everyone else cheering us on.”
At a preflight news conference, Isaacman — CEO and founder of the credit card processing company Shift4 — refused to say how much he invested in the flight. “Not a chance,” he said.
SpaceX teamed up with Isaacman to pay for spacesuit development and associated costs, said William Gerstenmaier, a SpaceX vice president who once headed space mission operations for NASA.
“We’re really starting to push the frontiers with the private sector,” Gerstenmaier said.
It’s the first of three trips that Isaacman bought from Elon Musk 2 1/2 years ago, soon after returning from his first private SpaceX spaceflight in 2021. Isaacman bankrolled that tourist ride for an undisclosed sum, taking along contest winners and a childhood cancer survivor. The trip raised hundreds of millions for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Spacesuit development took longer than anticipated, delaying this first so-called Polaris Dawn flight until now. Training was extensive; Poteet said it rivaled anything he experienced during his Air Force flying career.
As SpaceX astronaut trainers, Gillis and Menon helped Isaacman and his previous team — as well as NASA’s professional crews — prepare for their rides.
“I wasn’t alive when humans walked on the moon. I’d certainly like my kids to see humans walking on the moon and Mars, and venturing out and exploring our solar system," the 41-year-old Isaacman said before liftoff.
Poor weather caused a two-week delay. The crew needed favorable forecasts not only for launch, but for splashdown days later. With limited supplies and no ability to reach the space station, they had no choice but to wait for conditions to improve.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
A time exposure shows photographers as they document the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four as it launches from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Monday, Sept. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
This image provided by SpaceX on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, shows a view of Earth and the Dragon capsule's Skywalker spacewalk platform shortly after the Polaris Dawn crew launched into an orbit. (SpaceX via AP)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with a crew of four lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
This image made from a SpaceX video shows the launch of the Polaris Dawn mission on a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Tuesday Sept. 10, 2024. (SpaceX via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump, emboldened by his unprecedented political comeback, set to work unraveling Joe Biden ’s legacy Monday as soon as he was sworn in as the 47th president, claiming a mandate to reshape American institutions.
He began signing executive orders onstage at a downtown arena as thousands of supporters cheered, melding the theatrics of his campaign rallies with the formal powers of the presidency. He froze the issuing of new regulations, asserted his control over the federal workforce and withdrew from the Paris climate agreement.
“We won, we won, but now the work begins," Trump said before a crowd of people in “Make America Great Again” hats.
He promised to sign pardons for “a lot of people” who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump was trying to overturn Biden's election victory. Despite widespread outrage over the riot, Trump has tried to recast the participants as patriots.
In the four years since then, Trump overcame impeachments, criminal indictments and a pair of assassination attempts to win another term in the White House, and his re-ascendence was fervently welcomed by his followers.
“We all believe God’s hand has been on this man to be elected,” said Pam Pollard, 65, a longtime Republican official from Oklahoma.
Earlier in the day, Trump declared in his inaugural address that the government faces a “crisis of trust.” Under his administration, he said, “our sovereignty will be reclaimed. Our safety will be restored. The scales of justice will be rebalanced.”
Trump claimed “a mandate to completely and totally reverse a horrible betrayal," promising to “give the people back their faith, their wealth, their democracy and indeed their freedom.”
“From this moment on,” he added as Biden watched from the front row, "America’s decline is over.”
The executive orders are the first step in what Trump calls “the complete restoration of America and the revolution of common sense."
Other goals will prove more difficult, perhaps testing the patience of supporters who were promised quick success. Trump has talked about lowering prices after years of inflation, but his plans for tariffs on imports from foreign countries could have the opposite effect.
Frigid weather rewrote the pageantry of the day. Trump’s swearing-in was moved indoors to the Capitol Rotunda — the first time that has happened in 40 years — and the inaugural parade was replaced by an event with marching bands at Capital One Arena. Trump supporters who descended on the city to watch the ceremony outside the Capitol from the National Mall were left to find other places to view the festivities.
At the Capitol, Vice President JD Vance was sworn in first, taking the oath read by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a Bible given to him by his great-grandmother. Trump followed, using both a family Bible and the one used by President Abraham Lincoln at his 1861 inauguration. Chief Justice John Roberts administered his oath.
A cadre of billionaires and tech titans — including Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai — were given prominent positions in the Rotunda, mingling with Trump's incoming team before the ceremony began. Also there was Elon Musk, the world's richest man, who is expected to lead an effort to slash spending and federal employees. It was a striking display of wealth for a president who is a billionaire himself but branded himself as a working-class crusader.
Before going to the Capitol, Trump and his wife, Melania, were greeted at the White House by Biden and first lady Jill Biden for the customary tea and coffee reception. It was a stark departure from four years ago, when Trump refused to acknowledge Biden’s victory or attend his inauguration.
“Welcome home,” Biden said to Trump after the president-elect stepped out of the car. The two presidents, who have spent years bitterly criticizing each other, shared a limo to the Capitol. After the inaugural ceremony, Trump walked with Biden to the building's east side, where Biden departed via helicopter to begin his post-presidential life.
Trump followed Biden's departure with freewheeling remarks to supporters, revisiting a litany of conspiracy theories about voter fraud and grievances against perceived enemies such as former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, whom he called “a crying lunatic.”
He spoke for even longer than in his inaugural address, saying, “I think this is a better speech than the one I gave upstairs.”
Trump's inauguration realized a political comeback without precedent in American history. Four years ago, he was voted out of the White House during an economic collapse caused by the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Trump denied his defeat and tried to cling to power. He directed his supporters to march on the Capitol while lawmakers were certifying the election results, sparking a riot that interrupted the country’s tradition of the peaceful transfer of power.
But Trump never lost his grip on the Republican Party and was undeterred by criminal cases and two assassination attempts as he steamrolled rivals and harnessed voters’ exasperation with inflation and illegal immigration.
Trump used his inaugural address to repeat his claims that he was targeted by political prosecutions, and he promised to begin “fair, equal and impartial justice.” He also acknowledged that he was taking office on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which honors the slain civil rights hero. “We will strive together to make his dream a reality,” he said.
Now Trump is the first person convicted of a felony — for falsifying business records related to hush money payments — to serve as president. He pledged to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution from the same spot that was overrun by his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021. He’s said that one of his first acts in office will be to pardon many of those who were convicted for their participation in the riot, and he referred to them as “hostages” on Monday.
Eight years after he first entered the White House as a political newcomer, Trump is far more familiar with the operations of federal government and emboldened to bend it to his vision. Trump wants to bring quick change by curtailing immigration, enacting tariffs on imports and rolling back Democrats’ climate and social initiatives.
He has also promised retribution against his political opponents and critics, and placed personal loyalty as a prime qualification for appointments to his administration.
With minutes to go before leaving office, Biden issued preemptive pardons to his siblings and their spouses to shield them from the possibility of prosecution. Earlier in the day, he also pardoned current and former government officials who have been the target of Trump's anger. Biden said "these are exceptional circumstances, and I cannot in good conscience do nothing.”
Trump has pledged to go further and move faster in enacting his agenda than during his first term, and already the country's political, business and technology leaders have realigned themselves to accommodate him.
Democrats who once formed a “resistance” are now divided over whether to work with Trump or defy him. Billionaires have lined up to meet with Trump as they acknowledge his unrivaled power in Washington and his ability to wield the levers of government to help or hurt their interests.
Long skeptical of American alliances, Trump's “America First” foreign policy is being watched warily at home and abroad as Russia's invasion of Ukraine will soon enter its third year, and a fragile ceasefire appears to be holding in Gaza after more than 15 months of war between Israel and Hamas. Trump, who had promised to end the Ukraine war even before he was sworn in, did not mention the conflict in his inaugural address.
Trump said he would lead a government that “expands our territory,” a reference to his goals of acquiring Greenland from Denmark and restoring U.S. control of the Panama Canal.
He also said he would “pursue our manifest destiny into the stars" by launching American astronauts to Mars. Musk, the owner of a space rocket company with billions of dollars in federal contracts, cheered and pumped his arms above his head as Trump spoke.
AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro, and AP writers Josh Boak, Lindsey Bahr, Will Weissert and Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
Follow the AP's coverage of Donald Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.
President Donald Trump, center, takes part in a signing ceremony in the President's Room after the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)
President Donald Trump, center, takes part in a signing ceremony in the President's Room after the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Surrounding the president are, from left, Senate Majority Leader Sen. John Thune, R-S.D.; Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb.; Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; Vice President JD Vance; first lady Melania Trump; House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.; House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.; and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)
President Donald Trump speaks during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Pool Photo via AP)
President Donald Trump speaks after taking the oath of office during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts as Melania Trump holds the Bible during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool)
President-elect Donald Trump takes the oath of office during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (Saul Loeb/Pool photo via AP)
President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump, escorted by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., walk out to the presidential limousine, as they depart the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, enroute to the Capitol. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump walk out to the presidential limousine, as they depart the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, enroute to the Capitol. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Joe Biden looks on as he and first lady Jill Biden welcome President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump on the North Portico of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
President Joe Biden, center left, and first lady Jill Biden, left, greet President-elect Donald Trump, center right, and Melania Trump, right, upon arriving at the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Joe Biden, center left, and first lady Jill Biden, left, greet President-elect Donald Trump, center right, and Melania Trump, right, upon arriving at the White House, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Eric Trump and wife Lara, daughter Carolina and son Luke, arrive for church service to be attended by President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania, at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump's inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Rudy Giuliani, center arrives for a church service to be attended by President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump's inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
A sign is seen near St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, where President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania will attend an early morning service to start Trump's inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Ivanka Trump and her family arrive for a church service to be attended by President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump's inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. arrives for a church service to be attended by President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump's inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Vice President-elect JD Vance and his wife, Usha Vance arrive for a church service to be attended by President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump's inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
President-elect Donald Trump, Melania Trump and Barron Trump arrive for a service at St. John's Church, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Family members including Ivanka Trump, arrive before President-elect Donald Trump for a service at St. John's Church, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Vice President-elect JD Vance as Usha Vance, Melania Trump, Barron Trump and Victor Knavs watch before a service at St. John's Church, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump talks with Vice President-elect JD Vance and Usha Vance before a service at St. John's Church, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump and Melania Trump arrive for a service at St. John's Church, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania are greeted as they arrive for church service at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump's inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania are greeted as they arrive for church service at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump's inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrive for church service at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump's inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The U.S. Capitol is seen from the top of the Washington Monument at dawn on Inauguration Day, Monday, Jan.20, 2025 in Washington. (Brendan McDermid/Pool Photo via AP)
The U.S. Capitol is seen from the top of the Washington Monument at dawn on Inauguration Day, Monday, Jan.20, 2025 in Washington. (Brendan McDermid/Pool Photo via AP)
President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrive for church service at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump's inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania arrive for church service at St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, on Donald Trump's inauguration day. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
The U.S. Capitol is seen from the top of the Washington Monument at dawn on Inauguration Day, Monday, Jan.20, 2025 in Washington. (Brendan McDermid/Pool via AP)
President-elect Donald Trump arrives at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Snow falls on the Capitol in Washington, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a rally ahead of the 60th Presidential Inauguration, Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)