- The Polaris Dawn crew will attempt to reach higher altitudes than humans have traveled since NASA’s Apollo program in the 1970s, and will also conduct the first-ever commercial spacewalk.
- The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft is now scheduled to lift off between 3:38 and 7:09 a.m. ET on Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
- “Falcon and Dragon remain healthy and the crew remains prepared for their multi-day mission to low Earth orbit,” SpacX said on social media.
A SpaceX capsule carrying four commercial astronauts hoping to conduct a pioneering spacewalk won’t launch until at least Wednesday morning.
The Polaris Dawn mission, an ambitious five-day journey to the upper reaches of Earth’s orbit, was scheduled to launch Tuesday before a discovered helium leak forced a delay, SpaceX said. He said Monday night On social networking site X.
When the crew launches aboard the SpaceX Dragon, it will be their second trip to space. billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman, who funded the mission with Elon Musk’s company, previously ventured into orbit in 2021 aboard Inspiration4, the mission that became the first-ever private orbital spaceflight.
Isaac will command crew This includes the pilot. Scott “Kid” Poteet And SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillies and Anna MenonDuring the mission, the Polaris Dawn crew will attempt to reach higher altitudes than humans have traveled since NASA’s Apollo program in the 1970s, and will conduct the first-ever commercial spacewalk.
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When will Polaris Dawn be released?
The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to lift off between 3:38 and 7:09 a.m. ET on Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The launch delay — the second since the Polaris Dawn crew arrived in Florida last week — was necessary to give ground crews time to take a “close look at a ground-side helium leak” on a piece of equipment designed to separate from the rocket during liftoff, according to SpaceX. He said On X.
Boeing’s Starliner, which is competing with SpaceX’s Dragon for NASA approval to conduct routine orbital flights, also suffered a helium leak on its journey to the International Space Station. The leak, along with engine problems, eventually forced NASA to abort the Starliner’s crewed return to Earth.
However, SpaceX appears more optimistic that the helium leak will not threaten the imminent launch of its proven vehicle, which has been reliably carrying astronauts into orbit since 2020.
“Falcon and Dragon remain healthy and the crew remains prepared for their multi-day mission to low Earth orbit,” the company said.
If the mission needs to be postponed again, the launch could take place Thursday morning, SpaceX said.
What is the mission of Polaris Dawn?
The crew eventually plans to spend five days in orbit testing the technology on behalf of SpaceX, which could be crucial as NASA and other space agencies set their sights on deep space exploration, including destinations like Mars.
During the crew’s first day in orbit, they will soar to an altitude of 870 miles above Earth’s surface — higher than any human has traveled since NASA’s Apollo lunar program ended in the 1970s. The trajectory will take the capsule through the treacherous interior of Earth’s Van Allen radiation belt before descending to a new orbit about 435 miles above Earth.
The Van Allen belts pose one of the biggest risks to future astronauts venturing deep into the cosmos. But for future expeditions to the Moon and Mars to be possible, astronauts will need to be able to fly through them safely.
While in orbit, the crew will complete about 40 science experiments — many to understand how the human body reacts to long spaceflights — and test a new laser-based satellite communications system using Starlink.
Menon, of Houston, also plans to read a children’s book she co-authored, “kisses from space“Inspired by her experience preparing for the Polaris Dawn mission — for her two young children while in orbit.
On the sixth day of the mission, the SpaceX spacecraft will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and land at one of seven sites off the coast of Florida.
Performing a risky spacewalk
No doubt the peak Polaris Dawn Mission And on the third day, the crew hopes to become the first non-government astronauts ever to complete a spacewalk.
Complex orbital maneuvers are most often performed in vehicles with air chambers that eliminate the need to depressurize the entire capsule.
But because the Dragon doesn’t have an air chamber, the entire spacecraft will have to be depressurized when the hatch opens. Although only Isaacman and Gillis plan to exit the spacecraft, the entire crew will still be exposed to the vacuum of space.
For this reason, all four astronauts will wear extravehicular activity (EVA) suits designed by SpaceX to receive oxygen through tethers. The purpose of the operation, which is expected to take about two hours, is to test the suit’s capabilities for SpaceX.
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Contact him at [email protected]
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