On Tuesday, SpaceX once again postponed the launch of a groundbreaking orbital mission that features an all-civilian crew set to conduct the first-ever spacewalk by private citizens. The mission, known as Polaris Dawn and spearheaded by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, was initially scheduled to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida during a four-hour window early Wednesday.
SpaceX announced the delay in a message on X, citing “unfavorable weather forecasted in Dragon’s splashdown areas off the coast of Florida” as the reason for postponing the launch. An earlier launch attempt on Tuesday was also aborted due to a helium leak in a line connecting the rocket to the tower.
Mission Overview
The mission will see the SpaceX Dragon capsule, launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket, reach a peak altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) — making it the highest crewed mission since the Apollo era over 50 years ago. The highlight of the mission is the first-ever spacewalk to be performed by non-professional astronauts, with the crew wearing newly developed SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) suits.
The Crew: A Diverse Team with Rigorous Training
Leading the four-member crew is mission commander Jared Isaacman, who will guide them through the spacewalk. Joining him are Scott Poteet, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel serving as mission pilot; Sarah Gillis, a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX and mission specialist; and Anna Menon, also a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX, who will serve as mission specialist and medical officer.
The team has undergone over two years of intensive training in preparation for the mission, which included hundreds of hours on simulators, skydiving, centrifuge training, scuba diving, and even climbing a volcano in Ecuador.
Polaris Program: A Bold Collaboration
Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned missions under the Polaris program, a collaboration between Isaacman, founder of tech company Shift4 Payments, and SpaceX. While Isaacman has not disclosed his total financial investment in the project, reports indicate that he paid around $200 million for the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission in September 2021, which was the first all-civilian orbital mission.
Mission Details
On the mission’s first day, the crew will reach their highest altitude, briefly entering the Van Allen radiation belt, a region filled with high-energy charged particles that can pose health risks during prolonged exposure. On the third day, the crew will don their advanced EVA spacesuits — equipped with heads-up displays, helmet cameras, and enhanced joint mobility systems — and take turns venturing outside the spacecraft in pairs. Each spacewalk will last approximately 15 to 20 minutes, at an altitude of 435 miles above Earth.
In addition to the spacewalk, the crew will conduct nearly 40 scientific experiments, including testing laser-based satellite communication between the spacecraft and Starlink, SpaceX’s extensive constellation of over 6,000 internet satellites. One experiment involves contact lenses embedded with microelectronics to continuously monitor changes in eye pressure and shape.
Conclusion
After spending six days in space, the mission will conclude with a splashdown off the coast of Florida, marking the end of this historic expedition.