A SpaceX team launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Space Coast on Saturday, marking the return to space since the failure of a mission on July 11.
A first-of-its-kind mission is set to blast off from Florida in late August, embarking four private citizens on a journey that aims to make history on several fonts, including spacewalking outside a SpaceX craft.
The Polaris Dawn mission is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in a Crew Dragon spacecraft no earlier than Aug. 26. American businessman Jared Isaacman leads the private mission, which includes three other crew members: mission pilot Scott Poteet and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.
Polaris Dawn crew from left to right: Anna Menon, Scott Poteet, Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis. (Photo credit: John Kraus/Polaris Program)
SpaceX was set to launch a NASA astronaut mission to the International Space Station in mid-August, but NASA has delayed the Crew-9 launch until late September due to issues with the Boeing Starliner spacecraft currently docked at the station.
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Starliner arrived at the ISS with NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore in early June. However, after a series of problems, NASA is now considering bringing the pair home on a different spacecraft.
With the Crew-9 mission delayed, SpaceX will move ahead with the launch of Polaris Dawn.
The Polaris Dawn mission has faced a few scheduling delays, including the most recent investigation into a mishap with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket after a failed payload deployment in July.
Jared Isaacman and Kidd Poteet during EVA suit acceptance testing at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
(Polaris Program / John Kraus)
Isaacman said on X, formerly Twitter, that SpaceX kept the Polaris Dawn team up to date on the investigation.
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“SpaceX has done an incredible job keeping us informed of the issue, investigation, resolution, and return to flight plan,” Isaacman said of SpaceX’s return to flight in late July. “I’ve said it before, but I have never encountered such a collection of talent working on world-changing endeavors. It is beyond inspiring.”
The crew and SpaceX are making final preparations for liftoff.
While in orbit, the crew will attempt the first commercial spacewalk at about 430 miles above Earth.
Isaacman and Gillis will exit the Dragon spacecraft while Menon and Poteet remain inside the capsule. With the airlock open, all four crew members must wear pressurized spacesuits because they will all be exposed to the vacuum of space. Isaacman said the spacewalk will last an estimated 2 hours. To accommodate these mission goals, SpaceX teams developed a new extra-vehicular activity (EVA) suit.
Anna Menon during Polaris Dawn EVA spacesuit acceptance testing at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
(Polaris Program / John Kraus)
During the five-day spaceflight, the crew will conduct research in orbit. The Polaris Program partnered with 23 research institutes and universities to potentially send 38 experiments on the mission. Those partners include NASA, science-backed by SpaceX and multiple leading medical institutions and universities.
The Dragon spacecraft will fly its highest mission in Earth orbit, including through parts of the Van Allen Belts. These areas contain high-energy radiation, posing a risk to astronauts who fly to the Moon or Mars. The Polaris Dawn crew will conduct research to better understand the impact of space radiation on humans.