- SpaceX has delayed the launch of its historic Polaris Dawn mission, originally scheduled for no earlier than July 31, now shifted to mid-to-late August.
- The postponement is due to SpaceX’s decision to prioritise the Crew-9 mission, which plans to send four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on August 18.
OUR TAKE
The postponement of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission underscores the company’s prioritisation of its Crew-9 mission to the ISS. Mankind’s quest for space never ends.
-Vivienne Xie, BTW reporter
What happened
The spacecraft corporation led by Elon Musk, SpaceX, has delayed the scheduled launch for its monumental Polaris Dawn mission. According to the company, it planned to carry out the mission by 31 July, but it has since adjusted its projected completion date to mid-to-late August.
SpaceX has decided to prioritise the Crew-9 mission, which aims to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on 18 August. As a result, the Polaris Dawn mission had to make concessions.
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Why it’s important
Polaris Dawn will see four amateur astronauts travel aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft to an orbit approximately 700 kilometres above Earth, about 298 kilometres higher than the ISS. This mission will take the Crew Dragon further from Earth than any previous flight.
The mission aims to set another record with the first commercial spacewalk, conducted by two crew members as the spacecraft traverses the Van Allen radiation belt. This spacewalk will test newly designed spacesuits and is expected to last a few hours.
Additionally, the five-day mission will research the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health. It will be the first to test Starlink’s laser-based communications in space, a step towards developing future communication systems for lunar and Martian missions.
Billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman, CEO of payment processing firm Shift4 and an accomplished pilot is funding Polaris Dawn. Isaacman previously led the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, the first all-civilian orbital flight.
In an interview with Singapore’s CNA, Isaacman commented on the delay, saying: “We’re a little late … it’s probably late August when we’ll launch.”
