The SpaceX Dragon capsule, carrying the four private astronauts of the Polaris Dawn mission, launched into orbit from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the morning of September 10, after several weeks of delay. The mission was scheduled to lift off at the end of August, but was delayed first due to technical problems, then due to bad weather forecast for the crew’s return. On board the mission are billionaire Jared Isaacman, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. They will attempt several firsts during the five-day flight, including the first spacewalk.
The attempt will also mark the first spacewalk from a Dragon capsule. between Polaris Dawn its other goal is to send its crew farther than anyone has traveled since the Apollo program, aiming for about 870 miles above Earth. The voyage will take the capsule and its crew to the Van Allen radiation belt for a short period of time.
The @PolarisProgramThe Polaris Dawn mission will be the first crewed spacewalk from Dragon, the highest flight in Earth orbit since the Apollo program, and the first laser-based test. @Starlink to communicate and conduct research to help provide insights into human health… pic.twitter.com/RW387QWShY
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 22, 2024
Polaris Dawn is to be the first of three human spaceflight missions under Isaacman’s Polaris Program. Its crew will undergo the most important test yet of SpaceX’s new Extravehicular Activity spacesuit, as they’ll all wear it to protect against the vacuum of space when Dragon’s doors open for a spacewalk. The spacewalk will take place in an elliptical orbit about 435 miles above Earth’s surface, and two crew members will separate from the capsule.
