Ibadan, 10 Septmeber 2024. – The Polaris Dawn crew successfully launched aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew, including Anna Menon, Jared Isaacman, Scott Poteet, and Sarah Gillis, will subsequently begin research to better understand the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health.
The Polaris Dawn mission aims to fly higher than any Dragon mission and reach the highest Earth orbit flown, at an orbital altitude of 190 x 1,400 kilometers from Earth’s surface. Likewise, the mission intends to attempt the first-ever commercial spacewalk at an elliptical orbit of 190 x 700 kilometers above Earth in the new SpaceX EVA spacesuits. During the spacewalk, the crew will conduct tests to provide necessary data enabling SpaceX teams to produce and scale for future long-duration missions.
The mission also intends to test laser-based satellite communication using optical links between the Dragon spacecraft and Starlink satellites, aiming to revolutionize the speed and quality of space communications. Likewise, the Polaris Dawn crew will conduct nearly 40 experiments for scientific research to advance knowledge of human health on Earth and during future long-duration space flights. The crew will subsequently reenter the Earth’s atmosphere to splash down off the coast of Florida after the up to five-day journey.
Speaking about the mission, Jessica Jensen, Vice President of Customer Integration and Operations at SpaceX, said, “What the crew and Dragon aim to achieve over the next few days – from the first-ever commercial spacewalk in newly-designed EVA suits to travelling the farthest in Earth’s orbit since the Apollo program over 50 years ago to testing Starlink – all of this contributes to SpaceX’s aim to help humanity have greater access to space on our way to returning to the Moon.”
