The first private spacewalk: SpaceX prepares for a historic launch
Funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, this mission will not only perform the first civilian spacewalk, but also set new records and test technological innovations.
On August 27, SpaceX will carry out a launch that promises to make history with the mission, funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman. This flight will not only mark the debut of the first civilian spacewalk, but also include key innovations in space technology.
Billionaire Jared Isaacman leads the Polaris Dawn mission, aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, launched by a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center at 3:38 a.m. ET. In case of delays, backup times are set for 5:23 a.m. and 7:09 a.m. If not possible, the launch will be postponed to the next day. The live stream will start 3.5 hours before liftoff on the SpaceX website and on .
Records and Explorations
If all goes according to plan, Polaris Dawn will reach a maximum altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) above Earth, setting a new record for Earth orbit apogee. Although the Apollo missions went farther, they did not reach such high altitudes in Earth orbit. The Crew Dragon capsule will also reduce its orbit to 435 miles (700 km), where two crew members will perform the first spacewalk carried out by private citizens.
During the mission, the crew will conduct over 30 studies, including research on radiation in space and experiments on human survival. Polaris Dawn will also mark the inaugural deployment of SpaceX’s , designed with greater mobility and advanced features such as 3D-printed helmets. The Crew Dragon capsule, without an airlock, will expose the crew to the vacuum of space, making EVA a crucial challenge.
Communication and SpaceX’s Future
The crew of Polaris Dawn will be the first to test Starlink’s laser-based communications in space, a system that SpaceX plans to use in future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Jared Isaacman, the mission’s financier and commander, for this flight. In addition to Polaris Dawn, Isaacman is funding two additional missions with SpaceX, including one that could be the first crewed mission aboard the Starship system.
