SpaceX has adjusted the launch date for its groundbreaking Polaris Dawn mission, pushing it back to mid-to-late August. Initially scheduled for no earlier than July 31, the delay stems from SpaceX’s prioritization of the Crew-9 mission, which will send four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on August 18.
The Polaris Dawn voyage will involve four non-professional astronauts embarking on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to an orbit approximately 435 miles (700 kilometers) above Earth. This trajectory will take the spacecraft about 185 miles (298 kilometers) beyond the ISS, marking the furthest distance a Crew Dragon has traveled from Earth. The mission aims to break another record by undertaking the first commercial spacewalk, where two Polaris Dawn crew members will venture outside the spacecraft during their journey through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt. This spacewalk, expected to last a couple of hours, will serve as a comprehensive test for newly designed spacesuits.
The five-day Polaris Dawn mission will also prioritize scientific research, focusing on gaining deeper insights into the impacts of spaceflight and space radiation on human health. Furthermore, it will be the first mission to test Starlink laser-based communications in space, contributing to the development of future space communications systems for lunar, Martian, and beyond-Earth missions.
Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, CEO of payment processing firm Shift4 and an accomplished pilot, is spearheading the Polaris Dawn mission, funding the ambitious endeavor. Isaacman, known for his leadership in the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, which saw the first all-civilian orbital flight, expressed the delay in an interview with Singapore’s CNA on Saturday. He stated, “We’re a little late… it’s probably late August when we’ll launch.”
Isaacman will be joined on the Polaris Dawn mission by Scott Poteet, a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with 20 years of service in various roles; Sarah Gillis, a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX responsible for overseeing the company’s astronaut training program; and Anna Menon, a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX who manages the development of crew operations and serves in mission control.
