SpaceX Polaris Program launches historic private mission, aims for altitude 3 times higher than the Space Station
Daniel Levi
Posted On September 10, 2024
The mission, known as Polaris Dawn, took off at 5:24 a.m. ET from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. It aims to reach the highest orbital altitude achieved by humans since 1972.
A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carried the four crew members: Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur and founder of Shift4; retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet; and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. Isaacman, who funded the first all-civilian SpaceX mission in 2021, is also financing this mission.
The crew will travel to an altitude of 870 miles above Earth, more than three times higher than the International Space Station. While in orbit, they will test new spacesuits and technologies aimed at supporting future long-duration missions to the moon and Mars.
After weather delays, the Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission is set to last up to five days, reaching a maximum altitude of 870 miles before descending to about 435 miles. At that point, the crew will don spacesuits and open the spacecraft’s hatch, exposing it to the vacuum of space.
Isaacman and Gillis will each spend about 15 minutes outside the hatch, tethered to the spacecraft. Inspired by NASA astronaut Ed White’s historic spacewalk in 1965, Isaacman noted the importance of maintaining contact with mobility aids to reduce risk while gathering vital data.
The mission also marks the first use of WiFi connectivity in the cabin, provided by SpaceX’s Starlink system. SpaceX plans to use insights from this mission to enhance its future spacesuits and technologies for lunar and Mars missions.
Polaris Dawn Mission Aims for an Altitude Three Times Higher Than the Space Station, Marking Humanity’s Furthest Journey from Earth in Over 50 Years.
This mission is part of Isaacman’s Polaris program, which includes a series of private spaceflights that push technological boundaries. The program’s achievements demonstrate how commercial efforts are reshaping space exploration, benefiting both the private sector and NASA. Bill Gerstenmaier, SpaceX’s vice president of build and reliability, highlighted the collaboration and knowledge-sharing between SpaceX and NASA to advance space exploration.
“The Polaris Program is a first-of-its-kind effort to rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities while continuing to raise funds & awareness for important causes on Earth,” the program said on its profile on X.
Commenting on the launch, Elon Musk said:
“The @PolarisProgram astronaut mission is headed for an altitude 3 times higher than the Space Station, the furthest that humans have been from Earth in over half a century!”
The @PolarisProgram astronaut mission is headed for an altitude 3 times higher than the Space Station, the furthest that humans have been from Earth in over half a century! pic.twitter.com/lYgsA5vMGk
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 10, 2024
“We leverage off of what we learned from NASA in some ways, and then we push it a little bit further in other areas,” Gerstenmaier said during a briefing last month. “Then we share with each other what we know, what we don’t know, and we really test and evaluate and make sure we’re going forward and doing things the right way.”
Gerstenmaier, who led NASA’s human spaceflight division for many years, joined SpaceX, citing the company’s ability to operate with greater speed and agility than traditional government programs.
“This pace of development that we get to do at SpaceX is very much like the pace of development that was required back in the early Apollo days.” he said. “We’re getting a chance to do that again, where we’re really starting to push frontiers with the private sector and learning new things that we would not be able to learn by staying in the risk-free environment of here on Earth.”
If successful, the Dragon spacecraft will splash down off the coast of Florida, completing another historic chapter in the era of private space travel. The Polaris Program is pioneering a new era in human spaceflight, all while raising funds and awareness for vital causes here on Earth.
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