SpaceX has successfully launched private spaceflight Polaris Dawn, a historic space launch that crosses at least two major milestones.

Polaris Dawn is the first of a series of private spaceflight missions being carried out with the help of SpaceX.

According to Elon Musk, the mission represents the farthest from Earth that anyone has been since the lunar landings, as well as the first private spacewalk.

Polaris Dawn is an important spaceflight from a scientific standpoint, as it will provide an opportunity to study the effectics of cosmic radiation on the astronauts, thanks to the mission’s flight plan, as NSF points out.

Following orbital insertion, the crew performs systems checks and pass through an area of high radiation known as the South Atlantic Anomaly. Dragon will then raise its apogee to 1,400 km, breaking the crew altitude record set by Gemini 11 in 1966 of 1,369 km. It also marks the farthest humans have been from the Earth since the Apollo program. This will also mean Gillis and Menon will set the record for the farthest distance traveled away from the planet by a woman.