Ibadan, 16 Spetember 2024. – The Polaris Dawn mission crew have successfully returned to Earth, splashing off the coast of Florida at 3:36 a.m. EDT (07:36 a.m. GMT), after a five-day mission. After SpaceX teams safely recovered Dragon, the crew flew to Kennedy Space Center to reunite with their families and complete initial medical checks before flying to Houston, Texas, to complete more of the mission’s research studies.
During the Polaris Dawn mission, the astronauts successfully achieved their objectives, including conducting the first-ever commercial space walk in an elliptical orbit of approximately 700 km (435 miles) above Earth with the new SpaceX-designed EVA spacesuits. Furthermore, the team successfully tested 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 mission leveraged Starlink’s space internet capabilities to send Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis’ on-orbit violin recording from “Rey’s Theme” by composer John Williams. Gillis was joined in her performance by professional and youth musicians globally through a series of pre-recorded orchestra sessions. Together, they held a music moment to unite and inspire the world through the globally understood medium of music, while also fundraising for St. Jude and El Sistema USA.
In the same vein, Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon conducted an on-orbit reading of her book Kisses From Space, alongside her family and patients of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The mission also partnered with 31 global institutions to conduct approximately 36 experiments for critical scientific research to advance human knowledge of human health both on Earth and during future long-duration spaceflights.
