Polaris Dawn mission reaches orbit, crew to attempt 1st commercial spacewalk

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the maiden Polaris Dawn mission from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on Tuesday, September 10 at 3:38 am ET.

It took the rocket roughly nine minutes to reach low-Earth orbit. The mighty Falcon 9 rocket carried the Crew Dragon capsule and its four civilian astronauts on a daring mission.

SpaceX tweeted, “The Polaris Dawn crew is now in Zero-G!”

Soon after the launch, the Dragon capsule separated from the second stage of the Falcon 9 rocket. Meanwhile, the reusable first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket landed safely on the drone ship “Just Read The Instructions” in the Atlantic.

The launch was delayed several times due to technical difficulties and unfavorable weather.

The mission includes four civilian astronauts: commander Jared Isaacman, pilot Kitt Poteet, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.

They’re about to make history by conducting the first commercial spacewalk. Two days from the launch, Isaacman and Gillis are expected to attempt the spacewalk on Thursday, September 12.

First-ever private spacewalk

Crew Dragon is embarking on its fifth private mission, which is considered the riskiest to date.

The Polaris Dawn mission aims to achieve a new record for the highest Earth orbit, surpassing the Apollo program’s altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers). Space.com stated this altitude is “three times” that of the ISS.

On the mission’s 3rd day, the civilian astronauts will perform a spacewalk for 20 minutes at an altitude of 700 km. They’ll rely on SpaceX’s innovative new EVA spacesuits for this excursion and withstand the harsh vacuum of space.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon doesn’t have an airlock like the International Space Station (ISS). For the spacewalk, the entire cabin will be depressurized, and the four astronauts will depend on their lightweight spacesuits for oxygen.

As per Reuters , spacewalks have historically been limited to highly trained government astronauts until now.

Since its establishment in 2000, there have been 270 spacewalks outside the ISS. On the other hand, Chinese astronauts have performed 16 spacewalks on the Tiangong space station.

A total of 40 experiments planned

The four-person crew will perform a series of scientific experiments to understand the impacts of space radiation and the vacuum on the human body. These experiments will add to the existing body of knowledge gained from studying astronauts living on the ISS.

On the fourth day of the mission, the Polaris Dawn crew will conduct a Starlink demonstration. Reportedly, they will send a “surprise message” back to Earth using SpaceX’s vast network of internet satellites.

Interestingly, they will carry out approximately 40 scientific experiments during the entire mission. One of the main goals of the operation is to evaluate SpaceX’s new EVA spacesuit.

If all other mission goals are met by day five, the crew will focus on preparing for their return home. After a six-day journey, Polaris Dawn’s Dragon capsule is expected to splash down by performing the necessary deorbit burns to return to Earth.

If everything goes as planned, then the Polaris Dawn mission will push the boundaries of human spaceflight.