On September 10, the crew of Polaris Dawn began their historic mission aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to expand commercial space exploration at 5:23:49 AM EDT as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
“Today’s successful launch of Polaris Dawn highlights that the future of human spaceflight is happening now,” said Jessica Jensen, Vice President of Customer Integration and Operations at SpaceX. “What the crew and Dragon aim to achieve over the next few days – from the first-ever commercial spacewalk in newly-designed EVA suits to traveling the farthest in Earth’s orbit since the Apollo program over 50 years ago to testing Starlink – all of this contributes to SpaceX’s aim to help humanity have greater access to space on our way to returning to the Moon, traveling to Mars, and beyond.”
Since the announcement of Polaris Dawn in February 2022, the crew completed more than two years of essential training activities, to prepare them for the landmark mission. This included centrifuge operations, hundreds of hours of Dragon simulations, skydiving, survival training, high performance aircraft piloting, Zero-G flight training, altitude training, as well as classroom academics and medical testing. Additionally, and especially important for Polaris Dawn, the crew received extensive EVA training, both underwater and suspended operations, as well as the associated medical training.
The combined test, development and training program has prepared the crew for these important mission objectives:
- Flying higher than any previous Dragon mission to date and reaching the highest Earth orbit ever flown while moving through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt at an orbital altitude of 190 x 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from Earth’s surface – or more than three times higher than the International Space Station. This will be the highest altitude of any human spaceflight mission in Earth’s orbit in more than a half-century since the Apollo program;
- Attempting the first-ever commercial spacewalk. This will take place at an elliptical orbit of 190 x 700 kilometers (435 miles) above Earth in newly developed SpaceX EVA spacesuits. During the spacewalk, the crew will conduct a series of tests that will provide necessary data that will allow SpaceX teams to produce and scale for future long-duration missions. The crew worked with SpaceX engineers throughout suit development, testing various iterations for mobility and performance (along with mobility aids and systems procedures), and conducted operations inside vacuum chambers to validate pre-breathe protocols and the readiness of the EVA suit;
- Testing laser-based satellite communication using optical links between the Dragon spacecraft and Starlink satellites, revolutionizing the speed and quality of space communications;
- Conducting nearly 40 experiments for critical scientific research designed to advance our knowledge of human health both on Earth and during future long-duration space flights.
After completing the up to five-day journey, the Polaris Dawn team will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere to splash down off the coast of Florida. Additional details will be revealed leading up to, during, and after the mission via the Polaris Dawn website and social media channels, including other first-of-their-kind events to be held and shared while in orbit.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® is the official charitable partner of Polaris Dawn and fundraising for St. Jude will be integrated into various aspects of the mission. DORITOS®, a PepsiCo Foods brand, is making a significant donation to St. Jude and will join this historic mission. IWC Schaffhausen will also support the mission through its specially designed and donated Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Polaris Dawn” watch, which will be worn on the flight before being auctioned to benefit St. Jude.
About Polaris Dawn
Polaris Dawn is the first of three human spaceflights under the Polaris Program. The program is named after Polaris, a constellation of three stars more commonly known as the North Star, which has been a guiding light throughout human history to help us navigate the world and inspire progress. The mission is in support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.
Source: Polaris
