SpaceX is preparing to launch the Polaris Dawn mission aboard its Falcon 9 rocket from Florida, with the launch scheduled for no earlier than August 26. The mission will see the Dragon spacecraft and its crew spend up to five days in orbit, focusing on several groundbreaking objectives.
One of the key objectives of the Polaris Dawn mission is to achieve the highest Earth orbit ever flown by a Dragon mission. The spacecraft will navigate through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt, conducting research aimed at better understanding the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health.
In addition to this high-altitude mission, the crew will attempt the first-ever commercial extravehicular activity (EVA) at approximately 700 kilometers above Earth. This spacewalk will be conducted using newly designed SpaceX EVA suits, which represent an important step toward developing scalable spacesuits for future lunar and Martian missions.
Another significant aspect of the mission is the testing of Starlink’s laser-based communications in space. The Polaris Dawn crew will be the first to test this technology, providing vital data for future space communication systems necessary for missions beyond Earth.
The mission will also include scientific studies to advance understanding of human health during long-duration spaceflights. Research will focus on issues such as decompression sickness, the effects of space radiation, and Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS), which poses a key risk to human health in extended space missions.
SpaceX and Polaris Dawn are collaborating with several research institutions, including the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado Boulder, and Weill Cornell Medicine, to carry out these studies.
The Polaris Dawn crew consists of four members with diverse backgrounds in spaceflight and aerospace engineering.
Jared Isaacman, the mission commander, is the CEO of Shift4 and an accomplished pilot and astronaut who previously commanded the Inspiration4 mission. Scott Poteet, the mission pilot, is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel with extensive flight experience and a background in aerospace strategy.
Sarah Gillis, a mission specialist, is a Lead Space Operations Engineer at SpaceX responsible for astronaut training programs. Anna Menon, also a mission specialist and medical officer, is a Lead Space Operations Engineer at SpaceX with experience in mission control and biomedical operations.
This is going to be an epic mission and it’s made possible by SpaceX’s technologies from its launch, to Dragon and the new spacesuits and more.
