What To Know
- This altitude will incidentally be the highest reached by a manned flight since the Apollo lunar missions of the 1960s and 1970s.
- The Polaris Dawn mission is made possible thanks to the collaboration with SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk.
- This groundbreaking initiative is yet another example of the rapid evolution of the space industry, paving the way for broader and more diverse participation in space beyond traditional government agencies.
The launch date of Polaris Dawnthe first commercial space mission to include a spacewalk, has been officially announced. Scheduled for July 31, the mission is part of a private human spaceflight program funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman. Project representatives confirmed the date in a statement on the platform X.
A pioneering mission
Polaris Dawn is distinguished by several innovative aspects. The crew plans to carry out the First private spacewalk with specially designed spacesuits by SpaceX. This mission will also include a series of scientific and technological experiments. Polaris Dawn’s orbit will reach approximately 700 kilometers above Earth, surpassing the altitude of the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits at about 400 kilometers. This altitude will incidentally be the highest reached by a manned flight since the Apollo lunar missions of the 1960s and 1970s. The Polaris Dawn crew includes Jared Isaacman as commander, retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteetas a pilot, as well as mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menonboth operations engineers at SpaceX. Note that this will be the first time that SpaceX employees have gone to space aboard a company ship and rocket. Isaacman is already known for having commanded and financed the all-civilian launch of Inspiration4 in September 2021. This mission raised $250 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee. With the Polaris missions, Isaacman continues to support philanthropic causes while advancing private space exploration.
Illustration of a Polaris Dawn crew member performing the first-ever private spacewalk. Credit: Polaris on X program
Collaboration with SpaceX and technical challenges
The Polaris Dawn mission is made possible thanks to the collaboration with SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk. SpaceX will indeed provide there Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket for this ambitious mission. The mission’s development has faced several delays due to its complexity. Originally scheduled for late 2022, it was pushed back several times to ensure that all objectives were safely met. The most recent delay, in February 2024, pushed the launch from April to this summer. During this time, crew training has been intensified to best prepare the astronauts for the challenges of this pioneering mission. This groundbreaking initiative is yet another example of the rapid evolution of the space industry, paving the way for broader and more diverse participation in space beyond traditional government agencies.
