An unprecedented private space mission is scheduled to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Tuesday morning. Dubbed Polaris Dawn, the mission will use a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch a Crew Dragon capsule containing four private astronauts for a five-day orbit.
The mission is a follow-up of sorts to a 2021 private mission called Inspiration4 that was also backed by billionaire Jared Isaacman, the founder and chief executive of the data company Shift5. Polaris Dawn has been in the works for several years; at one point, there was talk of sending a crew to boost the life of the Hubble space telescope.
This new mission isn't that. Instead, the crew will attempt the first spacewalk of private astronauts, using spacesuit technology developed by SpaceX. They will also test out laser-based communications with satellite broadband provider Starlink as part of an effort to pave the way for travel to places including Mars. Starlink is a subsidiary of SpaceX, which is owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
The risks are not negligible: the crew will attempt to achieve the highest orbit ever recorded and as such will pass through heavy radiation and risk being struck by small space rocks and debris.
When will the Polaris Dawn mission begin?
After its original date of Aug. 26 was moved back, the new launch is set for a four-hour window starting early Tuesday, Aug. 27, at 3:38 a.m. ET.
"Crew safety is absolutely paramount and this mission carries more risk than usual, as it will be the furthest humans have traveled from Earth since Apollo and the first commercial spacewalk! If any concerns arise, the launch will be postponed until those concerns are addressed," Musk posted Monday on the social media site he owns, X.
How can I watch and follow Polaris Dawn's mission?
In addition to news coverage, you can find updates on Polaris Dawn on the mission's website, X, Instagram and Flickr, where photos from the mission will be posted.
Who'll be on the mission?
The crew includes four members. They are:
Jared Isaacman, the Shift5 CEO who is said to be spending hundreds of million dollars on the mission, on which he will serve as mission commander. Isaacman previously was on the Inspiration4 mission in 2021 as well.
Sarah Gillis, Space-X's senior operations engineer, who has trained NASA astronauts and who will serve as mission specialist for Polaris Dawn. Along with Isaacman, she will be one of the two crewmembers who performs the spacewalk.
Scott Poteet, who served as mission director of Inspiration4, is a former fighter-jet pilot for the US Air Force. He will be doing communications and spacewalk assistance on the mission.
Anna Menon is a lead space operations engineer at Space-X and will be in charge of the crew's healthcare during Polaris Dawn.
What do they hope to accomplish on this mission?
In addition to the spacewalk, which Isaacman and Gillis will be the first private astronauts to perform, the mission will also test laser communications with Starlink and perform a series of biology and human-endurance tests, according to the Polaris Dawn website.
If successful, Polaris Dawn would be the first of three missions, the next two of which would use SpaceX's new Starship rocket.