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Four private astronauts conduct the first commercial spacewalk

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

This morning, the private company SpaceX has completed the first commercial spacewalk. Here's NPR's Geoff Brumfiel, who sent this voice memo.

GEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE: This was definitely one of the most technically challenging missions SpaceX has tried, but it seemed to go according to plan. Jared Isaacman, the billionaire who paid for this flight, opened the hatch.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

JARED ISAACMAN: Hatch open.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: SpaceX copies, hatch open.

BRUMFIEL: He went outside, got a nice look at Earth, spent about 10 minutes out there, and then it was SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis' turn. She went out, came back inside, and sealed it up. It's a big win for SpaceX. They're hoping that their suits can someday be used to carry astronauts to the moon and Mars. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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Geoff Brumfiel works as a senior editor and correspondent on NPR's science desk. His editing duties include science and space, while his reporting focuses on the intersection of science and national security.