Power Outage During Historic SpaceX Mission

By Marisa Taylor and Joey Roulette

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A September power outage at SpaceX's California facility led to a loss of ground control for at least an hour during the Polaris Dawn mission, which included the first private spacewalk in history.

The spacewalk was conducted by private astronauts, including billionaires Jared Isaacman and Elon Musk. The incident, previously unreported, temporarily disabled SpaceX's ability to command its Dragon spacecraft, which remained safe and maintained some communication via the Starlink satellite network.

An anonymous source stated, "Not having command and control is a big deal," emphasizing the importance of mission operators for quick response during crises. However, SpaceX did not respond to questions regarding the power outage.

The incident raises concerns about private space companies' disclosure practices regarding mishaps, particularly as Elon Musk and Isaacman prepare for significant roles in the Trump administration. Critics fear potential conflicts of interest could affect NASA and regulatory oversight, especially given their extensive business ties to SpaceX.

It's unclear if SpaceX informed the FAA about the outage, but it did notify NASA, asserting the problem was resolved. Current U.S. law does not require private operators to disclose in-space mishaps due to a congressional moratorium aimed at protecting private sector interests.

The outage occurred due to a cooling system leak, triggering a surge that knocked out mission control for at least an hour. With no backup procedures available on paper, operators struggled to regain control.

Notably, the Polaris Dawn mission, heralded as a milestone in commercial space exploration, occurred despite the outage. Elon Musk has been a vocal opponent of government interference in the private sector, while Isaacman's future role as NASA administrator raises ethical concerns due to his business ties with SpaceX.

If confirmed, Isaacman plans to step down as Shift4 Payments CEO but retain his company stock, potentially leading to conflicts of interest regarding safety.