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

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

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

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission, featuring the first civilian spacewalk, has been delayed to Wednesday due to an umbilical leak.
The mission will send four private citizens, led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, to a maximum altitude of 870 miles.
Two crewmembers will perform the spacewalk at over 400 miles from Earth, requiring all four astronauts to wear specially designed suits as the modified Dragon capsule lacks an airlock.

See a mistake? Contact us.

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.