Polaris Dawn Is SpaceX’s Most Experimental—and Risky—Human Spaceflight Yet

The four-person mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than Monday at 3:38 a.m. EDT.

Wednesday, August 21, 2024 at 05:15 PM ET

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Polaris Dawn crewmembers Anna Menon (from left), Scott “Kidd” Poteet, Jared Isaacman, and Sarah Gillis don the SpaceX EVA spacesuits they will wear on their historic spacewalk. [Courtesy: Polaris Program]

Key Takeaways:

The Polaris Dawn mission, funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, aims for historic achievements including the highest orbital altitude in 50 years and the first commercial spacewalk.
The mission entails significant risks, such as traversing the hazardous Van Allen radiation belts and performing a spacewalk where all four crew members will be exposed to the vacuum of space due to the Dragon spacecraft's lack of an airlock.
Key objectives include conducting nearly 40 human health experiments and extensively testing SpaceX’s newly designed extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits.
Polaris Dawn's outcomes are crucial for informing future SpaceX deep-space missions and the development of Starship, while also raising millions for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

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On Monday, a small fleet of Dassault Alpha stunt jets landed at Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying the four-person crew of arguably the most perilous SpaceX mission to date.

The jets are owned by billionaire entrepreneur and Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman, who purchased the five-day orbital mission and two other private astronaut flights from SpaceX in 2022. Among other feats, Polaris Dawn will ascend to orbital heights not reached since the Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972 and feature the first attempt at a commercial spacewalk.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.