On September 10, 2024, SpaceX launched the Polaris Dawn mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This six-day mission is set to achieve several firsts in commercial spaceflight including the world’s first privately managed spacewalk.
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The Polaris Dawn mission successfully lifted off on September 10, 2024 at 5:23 a.m. Eastern Time, utilizing SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The mission is scheduled to last six days during which the crew will conduct various scientific experiments and technological tests.
The crew is traveling aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, named Resilience, which has been used in previous missions to the International Space Station.
Crew Members:
- Jared Isaacman (Commander)
- Sarah Gillis (Mission Specialist, SpaceX Engineer)
- Anna Menon (Mission Specialist, SpaceX Engineer)
- Scott “Kidd” Poteet (Pilot, Retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col.)
The Polaris Dawn mission was funded by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman. One of the mission’s chief objectives is to perform the world’s first-ever private spacewalk.
On day three of their five-day mission, the crew will attempt to complete history’s first commercial EVA. The EVA will test SpaceX’s new extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit, which has been designed to protect astronauts in the vacuum of space.
As SpaceX’s Dragon capsule lacks an airlock, the entire spacecraft will be depressurized, requiring all four crew members to suit up.
However, only Isaacman and Sarah Gillis will exit the spacecraft for the actual spacewalk, which is expected to last about two hours.
The mission will feature the first-ever spacewalk conducted by private astronauts. Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis will exit the spacecraft to perform the spacewalk.
All four crew members will wear newly designed SpaceX spacesuits. The entire capsule will be depressurized due to the lack of an airlock.
The crew will reach an orbit approximately 1,367 kilometers above Earth. This altitude is the farthest from Earth that astronauts have traveled since NASA’s Apollo moon missions over 50 years ago.
The mission’s orbit is over three times higher than the ISS’s orbit, which is around 400 kilometers above Earth. The spacecraft will initially enter an elliptical orbit ranging from 118 miles to 745 miles above Earth.
The crew will orbit Earth at a maximum altitude of 1,400 kilometers, this the highest altitude a human has traveled since NASA’s Apollo missions in the early 1970s. If successful, this will break the altitude record set by NASA’s Gemini 11 mission in 1966, which reached 1,373 kilometers.
SpaceX is using this mission to test the EVA spacesuits designed for use in the vacuum of space. These suits will be crucial for future space missions including those that aim to explore Mars and other deep-space destinations.
This EVA test will help SpaceX validate the suits’ functionality and maneuverability in the challenging conditions of space.
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During their mission, the Polaris Dawn crew will conduct about 40 science experiments. These studies focus on understanding the effects of spaceflight on human physiology and other scientific objectives in space’s unique environment.
On the mission’s fourth day, the crew will perform a special demonstration using SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service. The team has teased a surprise message that will be sent back to Earth via Starlink.
Polaris Dawn launched at 5:23 a.m. EDT from Launch Complex-39A. This is the same launchpad used for NASA’s Apollo moon missions. The Falcon 9 rocket’s nine Merlin engines fired up and propelled the spacecraft into orbit.
After around two minutes and 40 seconds, the first stage of the rocket separated and returned to Earth. It successfully landed on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship, Just Read the Instructions, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The second stage of the rocket continued the mission, deploying the Dragon capsule into an initial elliptical orbit.
About 12 minutes after launch, the Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Resilience, separated from the Falcon 9’s upper stage. The spacecraft then settled into an orbit with an apogee (highest point) of about 1,200 kilometers and a perigee (lowest point) of about 190 kilometers. After completing several orbits, the capsule will raise its apogee to about 1,400 kilometers.
On the mission’s third day, at an altitude of 700 kilometers, the crew will perform the spacewalk. Due to the lack of an airlock, the entire cabin will be exposed to the vacuum of space.
Although all four crew members will wear EVA suits, only Isaacman and Gillis will step outside the spacecraft. The spacewalk will last about two hours from depressurization to repressurization and its main goal is to assess the capabilities of SpaceX’s EVA suit.
After completing the mission’s objectives including scientific experiments and the spacewalk, the crew will prepare for their return to Earth. The Crew Dragon will perform deorbit burns and is expected to splash down in the ocean, where recovery ships will retrieve both the spacecraft and the crew.
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