In a photo shared by SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk on Wednesday unveiled the SpaceX space suit for the astronauts on its crewed flights expected to take off in 2018. The Chief executive posted the picture on his Instagram account and offered few details about the suit. The tech billionaire, who is also chief executive of automaker Tesla, indicated that his spacesuit is functional and tested to withstand pressure loss while traveling through space, as per the reports by Washington Post. He said the suits have been tested in “double vacuum pressure”. He captioned the photo as saying, “First picture of SpaceX spacesuit. More in days to follow. Worth noting that this actually works (not a mockup). Already tested to double vacuum pressure. Was incredibly hard to balance esthetics and function. Easy to do either separately.” Musk also said these amazing suits will be worn when the company sends humans into space.
Meanwhile on Thursday SpaceX launched the first satellite designed and built entirely in Taiwan, a spacecraft that aims to boost disaster forecasts and mapping, environmental observation and space research. As per the reports by AFP, the satellite, called FORMOSAT-5, weighs nearly 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms) and blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 11:51 am (1851 GMT). “Falcon 9 has lifted off,” SpaceX engineer Lauren Lyons said as the rocket soared into the sky over the launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, leaving billowing clouds of smoke in its wake. The satellite is designed to last for five years, and will orbit the Earth once every 100 minutes.
