SpaceX is gearing up for an exciting and historic mission called Polaris Dawn, which is set to launch on July 31. This mission is part of a private human spaceflight program funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman. The crew will include Isaacman himself, along with retired United States Air Force Lieut. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, who are SpaceX operations engineers.
One of the highlights of the Polaris Dawn mission will be the first-ever private spacewalk, which will be conducted by a crewmember wearing a bespoke SpaceX spacesuit. In addition to the spacewalk, the crew will also be conducting a variety of experiments onboard the Dragon capsule as it orbits about 435 miles above Earth. This will be the highest-altitude crewed flight since the Apollo moon missions of the 1960s and 1970s.
The Polaris Dawn mission is the first of a series of missions planned as part of the Polaris Program, all funded and commanded by Jared Isaacman. Isaacman previously led the all-civilian Inspiration4 mission in September 2021, which raised $250 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He plans to continue supporting this cause with the Polaris missions.
The complexity of the Polaris Dawn mission has led to some delays in its development, pushing the launch date from late 2022 to the upcoming July 31 launch. The training schedule for the crew has also been evolving to ensure they are prepared for the challenges they may face in space. According to Lieut. Col. Poteet, the crew has been working on identifying stressful situations and learning how to support each other during the mission.
Overall, the Polaris Dawn mission represents a significant milestone in commercial spaceflight, with SpaceX leading the way in pushing the boundaries of human exploration beyond Earth’s orbit. As we look ahead to the launch on July 31, excitement is building for what promises to be a groundbreaking mission in the history of space exploration.
