SpaceX ⁤Launches Polaris⁢ Dawn Mission ​to Test New Spacesuit⁣ and Spacewalks

On Tuesday, September 10, at 5:23 a.m. ET ‌(4:23 ​p.m.), SpaceX launched the ⁣Crew Dragon spacecraft ‍into space for the Polaris Dawn mission, carrying ⁢four passengers into low Earth orbit.‍ The mission aims to test a new spacesuit and conduct the first private spacewalk.

Mission Objectives

The Crew ⁤Dragon mission will reach ‌an altitude of 1,400 kilometers, the highest⁣ altitude of a crewed mission since⁤ the Apollo 17⁢ mission to the Moon in‍ December 1972. The mission’s primary goal is to study the effects of space radiation on human‌ health.

The ​spacecraft will then descend to an ‌altitude of about 700 kilometers to test the first private‍ spacewalk using a⁣ new spacesuit designed by SpaceX. Additionally, the mission will ​test laser ⁣communications through the Starlink satellite network in space, which will be used for future missions ‌to the Moon, Mars, and other planets.

Crew Members

The four passengers aboard⁤ the ‍spacecraft include​ Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, who serves as mission commander. He was the‌ commander of ‍the Inspiration mission. Other crew ⁤members include⁣ former Air Force pilot Scott ‌Poteet as⁣ the ‌pilot, Anna ⁤Menon ⁢as a mission expert and medical officer, and Sarah ⁤Gillis, chief operations engineer at SpaceX, as a mission expert.

Mission Timeline

Two minutes and 40 seconds after the‍ Falcon 9 rocket left the base, the booster separated. It then turned around ‌and landed on the⁣ Just Read the instructions drone ⁣ship docked in the Atlantic ​Ocean, about 9 minutes and 30 seconds after the mission launched. The‍ Crew Dragon ⁣spacecraft‌ is ⁤expected to remain in orbit for six days before returning to Earth in the ocean off the coast of Florida.