SpaceX prepares to launch first civilians into space

SpaceX is preparing to launch its most ambitious crewed mission yet, marking a major milestone in the race for private space exploration. Named Polaris Dawn, it is the first of three planned missions in the Polaris program, which is funded by billionaire philanthropist Jared Isaacman.

SpaceX will soon make history (again)

Over the past few years, SpaceX has established its reputation as a pioneer in human spaceflight, working closely with NASA to fly astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and execute a variety of missions. Building on its success with missions like Crew Dragon and Inspiration4, the company is gearing up to take space exploration to the next level. With its upcoming mission, titled “Polaris Dawn”SpaceX is preparing to carry out a first all-civilian extravehicular activity (EVA). This groundbreaking initiative is a testament to the rapid evolution of the space industry, paving the way for broader and more diverse participation in space beyond traditional government agencies. For Polaris Dawn, SpaceX will reach new heights by launching its Dragon spacecraft higher than any crewed mission since the end of the Apollo program in the 1970s. The Polaris Dawn crew will also test the SpaceX’s first spacesuits designed for extravehicular activity (EVA) in the vacuum of space.

Who is on the crew?

The crew of this historic mission is composed of the commander Jared Isaacmanfrom the pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteetas well as mission specialists Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis. In detail, Jared Isaacman became a billionaire thanks to his company Shift4 Payments. Also the owner of the aircraft pilot training company Draken International, he has approximately 7,000 flight hours. He also made his debut in space as commander of the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission in September 2021. It was the first all-civilian spaceflight in history. In addition to pushing the boundaries of private space exploration, the Polaris Dawn mission perpetuates Jared Isaacman’s philanthropic commitment, who hopes to use this new adventure to continue raising funds for causes that are close to his heart, as he did with Inspiration4 by supporting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Scott “Kidd” Poteet is a former lieutenant colonel and pilot in the United States Air Force (USAF) with more than 3,200 flight hours, including more than 400 combat hours. He worked closely with Jared Isaacman for many years. Also present during the Inspiration4 mission, he served as Mission Director, overseeing ground operations during Jared Isaacman’s historic flight into space.
Polaris Dawn crew members: Anna Menon, Scott “Kidd” Poteet, Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis. Credits: Polaris Program/John Kraus

Two SpaceX employees

The Polaris Dawn mission will also mark the first time that SpaceX employees will be flying into space on a company-owned spacecraft and rocket. Sarah Gillis is the principal spacecraft operations engineer at SpaceX and was also responsible for training the Inspiration4 crew. She also has experience on SpaceX’s Demo-2 and Crew-1 missions, and has supported other SpaceX cargo missions to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA. Anna Menon is also a principal spacecraft operations engineer at SpaceX and previously served as the mission manager in the company’s control room, managing crew operations development and astronaut communications. Prior to joining SpaceX, Menon spent seven years at NASA as the ISS biomedical flight controller, where she led biomedical operations for ISS Expeditions 47 and 48. She is also the daughter of astronaut Michael J. Smith, who tragically died in the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986. Note that the Polaris Dawn team was initially targeting a launch date of late 2022. It has since been pushed back twice due to hardware development delays, including the design and manufacturing of SpaceX’s EVA suit. The company is now targeting a launch this summer.