This month marks a significant milestone in the realm of private spaceflight as SpaceX gears up for the launch of Polaris Dawn, a groundbreaking mission set to achieve multiple historic feats, including the first-ever commercial spacewalk. The mission, part of SpaceX’s Polaris program, is poised to elevate the boundaries of SpaceX’s technological prowess and pave the way for sustained human habitation in space.
Initially unveiled in 2022, Polaris Dawn is the brainchild of billionaire Jared Isaacman, who also spearheaded the successful Inspiration4 mission in 2021. The mission, which has faced several delays, is now scheduled for launch no earlier than July 12, 2024, as confirmed by Isaacman in a recent interview.
Among the ambitious objectives of the Polaris Dawn mission is the execution of the first commercial spacewalk, groundbreaking research on human health in space, trials to equip the spacecraft with Starlink WiFi, and ascending to a high orbit exceeding 800 miles above Earth—marking the farthest distance a human has ventured from our planet since the Apollo era.
SpaceX envisions the Polaris Dawn mission as a pioneering venture for their Starship spacecraft, a futuristic project aimed at ferrying large numbers of individuals to orbit, the Moon, and potentially Mars in the future.
The crew of Polaris Dawn, comprising billionaire Jared Isaacman, former Air Force lieutenant colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, will embark on a five-day journey in orbit around Earth, traversing through the van Allen radiation belts—a region of energetic particles ensnared in Earth’s magnetic field that no human has transited since the Apollo program concluded in the early 1970s.
During their mission, the crew will gather crucial medical data to comprehend the impact of the radiation environment on human physiology, including conducting studies on decompression sickness by measuring gas bubbles in their blood. Additionally, the team will tackle the enigmatic “spaceflight associated neuro ocular syndrome” (SANS), a prevalent issue during extended spaceflights characterized by alterations in spinal fluid pressure that can lead to visual disturbances.
The Polaris Dawn mission heralds a new chapter in commercial space exploration, showcasing SpaceX’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of space travel and fostering advancements in human spaceflight technology.
