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SpaceX has blasted off a crew of four private astronauts for the first-ever private spacewalk.

A billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military fighter pilot and two SpaceX employees are using the company’s new spacesuits and a redesigned spacecraft for the mission which launched on Tuesday morning from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

SpaceX
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Pic: SpaceX

It is the riskiest private space mission so far – only highly trained, well-funded government astronauts have done spacewalks in the past.

Mandatory Credit: Photo by EyePress News/Shutterstock (14664570a).The Polaris Dawn crew at the Kennedy Space Center, from left to right: Anna Menon as mission specialists, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott Kidd Poteet as its pilot, Jared Isaacman, CEO of Shift4, as commander, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities ahead of liftoff on Tuesday Aug 27, 2024. Polaris Dawn, a private space mission that aims to complete the first-ever civilian spacewalk, is expected to launch this week. On X, SpaceX said it's targeting Tuesday August 27 at 3:38AM ET for liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket that will carry the Polaris Dawn crew to orbit. Led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, Polaris Dawn plans to send its crew of four private citizens as far as 870 miles from Earth - farther than any human has traveled since the Apollo program. The spacewalk, in which two of the crew members will step outside the SpaceX Dragon capsule, will take place at an altitude of 435 miles above Earth. (SpaceX handout via EYEPRESS).The Polaris Dawn Crew Prep for First Commercial Spacewalk at the Kennedy Space Center, Orlando, Florida - 26 Aug 2024
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The Polaris Dawn crew at the Kennedy Space Center. File pic: EyePress News/Shutterstock

SpaceX
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Pic: SpaceX

An attempt to launch last month was postponed hours before lift-off over a small helium leak in ground equipment on SpaceX’s launchpad.

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The crew during take-off. Pic: SpaceX

The company fixed the leak, but its Falcon 9 was then grounded by US regulators over a booster recovery failure during an unrelated mission, further delaying the Polaris launch.

Risky Polaris mission is neccesary if Musk wants a city on Mars

Astronauts need courage, and never more so than on the Polaris Dawn mission now in orbit around the Earth.

The four crew members are all civilians. Only one has ever been to space before. Just once.

And if that wasn’t enough, the SpaceX Dragon capsule will take them further from Earth than anybody since the Apollo missions, through radiation belts around the planet.

Then the crew will attempt the first spacewalk by private astronauts, testing a new suit in the vacuum of space, from a spacecraft that doesn’t even have an airlock.

The mission is so full of risk it’s a wonder it ever got insurance.

Jared Isaacman, the billionaire commander and funder of the mission, is a space geek.

He believes in humanity’s journey away from our home planet. And the experiments and proof of technology on this flight are part of that.

Isaacman has paid SpaceX for three Polaris missions. He hopes the third will be on Starship, the mega-rocket that Elon Musk hopes will take people to Mars.

He said recently that uncrewed flights should happen in two years.

If they land successfully, astronauts will be on board two years after that and a self-sustaining city will exist on Mars in 20 years.

It sounds far-fetched.

But daring missions like Polaris could make it more likely.

“Crew safety is absolutely paramount and this mission carries more risk than usual, as it will be the furthest humans have travelled from Earth since Apollo and the first commercial spacewalk!,” Elon Musk, SpaceX’s chief executive, wrote about the mission last month on his social media site X.

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There have been roughly 270 spacewalks on the International Space Station (ISS) since its creation in 2000, and 16 by Chinese astronauts on Beijing’s Tiangong space station.

The SpaceX mission, called Polaris Dawn, will last about five days in an oval-shaped orbit that passes as close to Earth as 190km (118 miles) and as far as 1,400km (870 miles), the furthest any humans will have travelled since the end of the United States’s Apollo moon programme in 1972.

Now the spacecraft has launched, it will begin a “two-day pre-breathe process” to prepare the crew for their upcoming spacewalk on Thursday.

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US announces it will increase steps to limit revenue of Venezuelan president Maduro – as he begins third term

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US announces it will increase steps to limit revenue of Venezuelan president Maduro - as he begins third term

The US has announced it has increased its reward for information leading to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

In a statement on Friday, the US treasury said up to $25m is being offered for information leading to the arrest of Mr Maduro and his named interior minister Diosdado Cabello.

Up to $15m is also being offered for information on the incoming defence minister Vladimir Padrino. Further sanctions have also been introduced against the South American country’s state-owned oil company and airline.

The reward was announced as Mr Maduro was sworn in for a third successive term as the Venezuelan president, following a disputed election win last year.

Nicolas Maduro sworn in for a third term as president.
Pic: Reuters
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Sanctions from the US, UK and EU came as Maduro was sworn in for a third term as president. Pic: Reuters

Elvis Amoroso, head of the National Electoral Council, said at the time Mr Maduro had secured 51% of the vote, beating his opponent Edmundo Gonzalez, who won 44%.

But while Venezuela’s electoral authority and top court declared him the winner, tallies confirming Mr Maduro’s win were never released. The country’s opposition also insists that ballot box level tallies show Mr Gonzalez won in a landslide.

Nationwide protests broke out over the dispute, with a brawl erupting in the capital Caracas when dozens of police in riot gear blocked the demonstrations and officers used tear gas to disperse them.

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From July 2024: Protests after Venezuela election results

More than 2,000 demonstrators were arrested, and Mr Gonzalez fled to Spain to seek asylum in September.

While being sworn in at the national assembly, Mr Maduro said: “May this new presidential term be a period of peace, of prosperity, of equality and the new democracy.”

He also accused the opposition of attempting to turn the inauguration into a “world war,” adding: “I have not been made president by the government of the United States, nor by the pro-imperialist governments of Latin America.”

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The UK and EU have also introduced new sanctions against Venezuelan officials – including the president of Venezuela’s supreme court Caryslia Beatriz Rodriguez Rodriguez and the director of its criminal investigations department Asdrubal Jose Brito Hernandez.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said Mr Maduro’s “claim to power is fraudulent” and that last year’s election “was neither free nor fair”.

“The UK will not stand by as Maduro continues to oppress, undermine democracy, and commit appalling human rights violations,” he added.

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Mr Maduro and his government have always rejected international sanctions as illegitimate measures that amount to an “economic war” designed to cripple Venezuela.

Those targeted by the UK’s sanctions will face travel bans and asset freezes, preventing them from entering the country and holding funds or economic resources.

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Donald Trump says he’s ‘totally innocent’ and thanks judge moments before no-penalty sentence in hush money case

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Donald Trump says he's 'totally innocent' and thanks judge moments before no-penalty sentence in hush money case

Donald Trump has been handed a no-penalty sentence following his conviction in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.

The incoming US president has received an unconditional discharge – meaning he will not face jail time, probation or a fine.

Manhattan Judge Juan M Merchan could have jailed him for up to four years.

The sentencing in Manhattan comes just 10 days before the 78-year-old is due to be inaugurated as US president for a second time on 20 January.

Trump appeared at the hearing by video link and addressed the court before he was sentenced, telling the judge the case had been a “very terrible experience” for him.

He claimed it was handled inappropriately and by someone connected with his political opponents – referring to Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg.

As it happened:
Trump sentenced in Manhattan court

Trump said: “It was done to damage my reputation so I would lose the election.

“This has been a political witch hunt.

“I am totally innocent. I did nothing wrong.”

Concluding his statement, he said: “I was treated very unfairly and I thank you very much.”

The judge then told the court it was up to him to “decide what is a just conclusion with a verdict of guilty”.

He said: “Never before has this court been presented with such a unique and remarkable set of circumstances.

“This has been a truly extraordinary case.”

He added that the “trial was a bit of a paradox” because “once the doors closed it was not unique”.

US President-elect Donald Trump is seen on the screen at Manhattan criminal court in New York, US, on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.  JEENAH MOON/Pool via REUTERS
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Pic: Reuters

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass had earlier argued in court that Trump “engaged in a campaign to undermine the rule of law” during the trial.

“He’s been unrelenting in his attacks against this court, prosecutors and their family,” Mr Steinglass said.

“His dangerous rhetoric and unconstitutional conduct has been a direct attack on the rule of law and he has publicly threatened to retaliate against the prosecutors.”

Mr Steinglass said this behaviour was “designed to have a chilling effect and to intimidate”.

It comes after the US Supreme Court rejected a last-ditch attempt by Trump to delay sentencing in the case on Thursday.

Trump’s lawyers argued that evidence used during the trial violated last summer’s Supreme Court ruling giving Trump broad immunity from prosecution over acts he took as president.

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Todd Blanche, attorney for former US President Donald Trump, and US President-elect Donald Trump are seen on the screen at Manhattan criminal court in New York, US, on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025.  JEENAH MOON/Pool via REUTERS
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Trump appeared via videolink with his attorney Todd Blanche. Pic: Reuters

Trump’s hush money conviction in May 2024 means he will become the first person convicted of a felony to assume the US presidency.

He was found guilty in New York of 34 counts of falsifying business records relating to payments made to Ms Daniels, an adult film actor, before he won the 2016 US election.

Prosecutors claimed he had paid her $130,000 (£105,300) in hush money to not reveal details of what Ms Daniels said was a sexual relationship in 2006.

Trump has denied any liaison with Ms Daniels or any wrongdoing.

The trial made headlines around the world but the details of the case or Trump’s conviction didn’t deter American voters from picking him as president for a second time.

FILE - Former U.S. President Donald Trump attends his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York, Tuesday, April 23, 2024. (Timothy A. Clary/Pool Photo via AP, File)
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Trump appears in court during his trial. Pic: AP

What is an unconditional discharge?

Under New York state law, an unconditional discharge is a sentence imposed “without imprisonment, fine or probation supervision”.

The sentence is handed down when a judge is “of the opinion that no proper purpose would be served by imposing any condition upon the defendant’s release”, according to the law.

It means Trump’s hush money case has been resolved without any punishment that could interfere with his return to the White House.

Unconditional discharges have been handed down in previous cases where, like Trump, people have been convicted of falsifying business records.

They have also been applied in relation to low-level offences such as speeding, trespassing and marijuana-related convictions.

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Family of Leicester City chairman killed in football stadium helicopter crash sue manufacturer for £2bn

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Family of Leicester City chairman killed in football stadium helicopter crash sue manufacturer for £2bn

Leicester City’s owners have launched a landmark lawsuit against a helicopter manufacturer following the club chairman’s death in a crash in 2018.

Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha’s family are suing Italian company Leonardo SpA for £2.15bn after the 60-year-old chairman and four others were killed when their helicopter crashed just outside the King Power Stadium in October 2018.

The lawsuit is the largest fatal accident claim in English history, according to the family’s lawyers. They are asking for compensation for the loss of earnings and other damages, as a result of the billionaire’s death.

The legal action comes more than six years after the fatal crash and as an inquest into the death of the 60-year-old chairman and his fellow passengers is set to begin on Monday.

FIEL - In this May 7, 2016, file photo, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha applauds beside the trophy as Leicester City celebrate becoming the English Premier League soccer champions at King Power stadium in Leicester, England. 	ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha celebrating after Leicester City won the Premier League in 2016. Pic: AP

Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s son Khun Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, who took over as the club’s chairman, said: “My family feels the loss of my father as much today as we ever have done.

“That my own children, and their cousins will never know their grandfather compounds our suffering… My father trusted Leonardo when he bought that helicopter but the conclusions of the report into his death show that his trust was fatally misplaced. I hold them wholly responsible for his death.”

The late Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s company, King Power, was earning more than £2.5bn in revenue per year, according to his family’s lawyers. The lawsuit claims “that success was driven by Khun Vichai’s vision, drive, relationships, entrepreneurism, ingenuity and reputation.”

“All of this was lost with his death,” it adds.

The fatal crash took place shortly after the helicopter took off from Leicester’s ground following a 1-1 draw against West Ham on 27 October 2018.

The aircraft landed on a concrete step and four of the five occupants survived the initial impact, but all subsequently died in the fuel fire that engulfed the helicopter within a minute.

ovember 10, 2018 - Leicester, United Kingdom - A tribute to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha during the Premier League match at the King Power Stadium, Leicester. Picture date: 10th November 2018. Picture credit should read: James Wilson/Sportimage.(Credit Image: © James Wilson/CSM via ZUMA Wire) (Cal Sport Media via AP Images)
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Thousands of tributes were left outside the ground in the wake of the tragedy. Pic: James Wilson/Sportimage

The other victims were two of Mr Srivaddhanaprabha’s staff, Nursara Suknamai and Kaveporn Punpare, pilot Eric Swaffer and Mr Swaffer’s girlfriend Izabela Roza Lechowicz, a fellow pilot.

Investigators found the pilot’s pedals became disconnected from the tail rotor – resulting in the aircraft making a sharp right turn which was “impossible” to control, before the helicopter spun quickly, approximately five times.

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The Air Accidents Investigation Branch described this as “a catastrophic failure” and concluded the pilot was unable to prevent the crash.

The lawsuit alleges the crash was the result of ‘multiple failures’ in Leonardo’s design process. It also alleges that the manufacturer failed to warn customers or regulators about the risk.

Sky News has contacted helicopter manufacturer Leonardo for comment.

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