Polaris Dawn: Private space mission to launch on Monday
The private space mission Polaris Dawn is due to launch into space on Monday. US billionaire Jared Isaacman has set himself big goals.
The space suits were also tried on during the two-year preparation period. The Polaris Dawn mission is due to launch into space on Monday.
(Image: Polaris Dawn/SpaceX)
On Monday, August 26, US billionaire Jared Isaacman's private space mission Polaris Dawn is scheduled to launch into space. The focus will be on testing new space technology. During the first commercial spacewalk, for example, a new space suit from SpaceX is to be tested. The four-person crew will launch aboard a Dragon capsule with a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Polaris Dawn will fly higher than any previous Dragon mission, crossing parts of the Van Allen Radiation Belt. The ring contains energetically charged elementary particles that are trapped in the Earth's magnetic field and is a test of endurance for technology, crew and spacesuits. It is the highest altitude of a manned space mission since the Apollo program over 50 years ago, according to an announcement. The crew will also test laser-based satellite communication using Starlink satellites. This should significantly increase the speed and quality of connections in space.
40 scientific experiments planned
Almost 40 scientific experiments are also planned, which will focus primarily on human health and from which knowledge for future long-term space flights will be gained. The crew around mission commander Isaacman, which also consists of Scott Potent (pilot), Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon (both aerospace engineers at SpaceX), have been preparing for the flight for two years.
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After the first Polaris mission, at least two more are planned. The second will build on Polaris Dawn to further test the technology's capabilities for longer flights and communication. The third is to be the first manned space flight with the giant Starship rocket, a fully reusable transportation system that will one day be used to undertake flights into Earth orbit, to the moon and to Mars.
Mission postponed several times
The first mission was originally scheduled to take place at the end of 2022, but then had to be postponed several times. The reason given was that the technology was not yet ready. Isaacman had already flown into space with a SpaceX Dragon crew in September 2021, paying for the mission called Inspiration4 himself.
(mki)
