SpaceX has announced the target date for its much-anticipated Polaris Dawn mission: July 31. This mission is unique as it will send four nonprofessional astronauts aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to an orbit approximately 435 miles (700 kilometers) above Earth. This is significantly higher than any Crew Dragon has flown to date, and about 185 miles (298 kilometers) above the International Space Station (ISS).
The Polaris Dawn mission will also feature the first-ever commercial spacewalk. Two crew members will participate in this spacewalk, which is expected to last a few hours. They will be testing new, specially designed spacesuits and their ability to function as expected in microgravity conditions.
The mission is being funded and led by billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman, the CEO of payment processing firm Shift4, and an accomplished pilot. Isaacman is no stranger to space travel, having flown to low-Earth orbit with three other nonprofessional astronauts in the Inspiration4 mission in 2021.
Joining Isaacman on the Polaris Dawn mission will be Scott Poteet, a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel; Sarah Gillis, a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX; and Anna Menon, another lead space operations engineer at SpaceX. The team will conduct research aimed at understanding the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health.
In addition, the Polaris Dawn crew will be the first to test Starlink laser-based communications in space. This will provide valuable data for the development of future space communications systems necessary for missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond.
The mission is set to launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. However, the July 31 date could be subject to change.
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