Polaris Dawn, a private space mission aiming to complete the first-ever civilian spacewalk, will launch tomorrow by SpaceX.
The launch has been postponed again.
And in X, SpaceX He said The Falcon 9 rocket that will take the Polaris Dawn crew into orbit is set to launch today, August 27, but the link now points to a launch on August 28 at 5:05 a.m.
Polaris Dawn, led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, plans to send its crew of four ordinary citizens as far as 1,400 kilometers from Earth. Further than any human has traveled since the Apollo program.The spacewalk, in which two crew members will emerge from SpaceX's Dragon capsule, will take place 700 kilometers above Earth.
The Polaris crew includes Dawn Isaacman, CEO of Shift4, as commander, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet as pilot, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon as mission specialists. Menon will also be the medical officer. The mission is expected to last about five days..
Polaris Dawn and SpaceX completed full training for launch day activities ahead of liftoff on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/qz2RD5bnVM
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 25, 2024
First of three planned Polaris spaceflights
Although only two crew members actually exit the spacecraft during the flight, everyone will be exposed to the vacuum of space when the hatch opens—the Dragon capsule does not have a vacuum chamber. This will be a critical test of SpaceX’s new EVA spacesuits, Which the entire Polaris Dawn crew will have to use to keep themselves safe..
In an interview with Florida Today Ahead of the mission, Menon said the suits had undergone extensive testing on the ground and he was confident of their performance.
We know very well that facts can be manipulated.
"The team spent a lot of time pressing the suits at this point," Menon said.
Polaris Dawn will also test Starlink’s laser-based communications in space for the first time and collect data to support research into the effects of spaceflight on human health. The mission has been in the works for several years. It is the first of three space flights. Polaris planned.
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