Polaris Dawn Launch Pushed to Wednesday

A helium leak has delayed the launch of the Polaris Dawn private space mission.

Russ Niles

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 at 10:00 AM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

Static fire test of Falcon 9 booster that will launch Polaris Dawn. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX has delayed its Polaris Dawn mission, which features the first planned civilian spacewalk, until Wednesday due to a leak in the rocket's umbilical.
Led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, two of the four private citizens onboard will perform an Extravehicular Activity (EVA) over 400 miles from Earth, requiring new specialized spacesuits because the modified Crew Dragon capsule lacks an airlock.

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SpaceX has pushed back to Wednesday the launch of a private mission that is planned to include the first civilian spacewalk.

The Polaris Dawn mission will take four private citizens to a maximum altitude of 870 miles and see two of the crewmembers exit the Crew Dragon capsule while they’re more than 400 miles from Earth. The delay was caused by a leak in the umbilical that loads liquids aboard the rocket. The next launch opportunity is Wednesday at 3:38 a.m. EDT.