SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn space mission has officially launched, sending four humans up into space.
This historic mission will see the first-ever commercial spacewalk, as two crew members will exit the Dragon capsule and enter space this week.
SpaceX’s Successful Launch
The Polaris Dawn mission had a successful launch on Tuesday at 5:23 a.m. ET. The Falcon 9 rocket also contained a four-person civilian crew.
The successful launch occurred from the Kennedy Space Center, located in Florida.
A Delayed Launch
This launch has had a long delay process as SpaceX engineers worked overtime to ensure that the rocket and Dragon capsule were ready to go.
On Tuesday, another delay was seen because of “unfavorable weather at the launch site.” However, after this two-hour delay, lift-off was eventually conducted.
A Four Person Crew
This ambitious mission features a four-person commercial crew. The crew is led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, the CEO of Shift4, a payment processing company.
Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a former Air Force pilot, and two SpaceX engineers, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, round out the rest of the crew.
Many Delays Seen
Though the launch of the rocket was delayed by only two hours on Tuesday morning, the mission has faced a series of delays in just the last few weeks.
The originally planned launch date of August 26 was moved, thanks to unfavorable weather conditions. Ground system issues were also to blame.
Preparing for Other Delays
SpaceX even revealed, prior to launch, that they were prepared for more delays on Tuesday morning, as weather conditions remained unfavorable for a brief period of time.
“Weather is currently 40% favorable for liftoff, and conditions at the possible splashdown sites for Dragon’s return to Earth remain a watch item,” the company wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Helium Leaks
Other delays occurred earlier in the mission because of a ground-side helium leak seen on the Quick Disconnect (QD) umbilical.
These umbilical systems help to employ QD fluid connectors to then transfer fluids into the vehicle. Recently, the headline-making Starliner, Boeing’s crewed capsule, also suffered from helium leaks.
Polaris Dawn Could Make History
If everything goes according to plan, this Polaris Dawn mission will make human history, as four private citizens will end up going into ultrahigh orbit.
Once this crew ascends to 870 miles above Earth, they will go down in history as the four people to go to the highest altitude seen since the Apollo program.
The First Commercial Spacewalk
SpaceX’s program could also make history in another way, as they’re planning to conduct the first commercial spacewalk.
This spacewalk will allow two crew members to fully exit the Dragon spacecraft when they are 435 miles above Earth.
An Interesting Spacewalk
However, this spacewalk will be different than other NASA ones seen in the past. The Dragon capsule doesn’t have an airlock.
Therefore, all four members of the capsule will be exposed to space — and the vacuum of space — during this never-before-seen commercial spacewalk.
Dragon’s Unique Upgrades
SpaceX has recently explained that the Dragon spacecraft has had a few unique and significant upgrades to better prepare for the Polaris Dawn mission.
For example, life support systems have been majorly upgraded to supply more oxygen during spacewalks.
A Critical Test
This ambitious mission is also an incredibly critical test for SpaceX. Many firsts are being made with this mission, if everything goes according to plan.
The spacewalk will also serve as a major test for the company’s new spacesuits, which are extravehicular activity spacesuits.
