The Polaris Dawn crew, an all-civilian team, aims to reach heights higher than any astronaut has flown since the Apollo missions of the 1970s. They will launch on a SpaceX Dragon atop a Falcon 9 rocket, ascending to 870 miles above Earth before settling into a cruising orbit 435 miles above the surface. The crew plans to conduct a spacewalk, a feat previously only achieved by government astronauts. However, the mission has been delayed by 24 hours to allow for additional preflight checkouts.
Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman will lead the crew, which includes a pilot and two mission specialists. SpaceX helped fund the mission and designed special spacesuits for the crew. They will spend five days in orbit conducting scientific experiments and tests that could be crucial for future deep space exploration. The crew will also test a new laser-based satellite communication system using Starlink.
The Polaris Program consists of three human spaceflights, with Polaris Dawn being the first. The second mission will continue to push the boundaries of human spaceflight and scientific research, while the third mission will be the first human spaceflight on the SpaceX Starship rocket. This rocket, which has only undergone uncrewed tests, will eventually ferry NASA astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon’s surface as part of the Artemis program. Through these missions, SpaceX aims to test technologies needed for humans to travel deep into the cosmos.
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