The launch date has been set for the first commercial spaceflight mission involving extravehicular activity.
Polaris DawnThe spacecraft, part of a private human spaceflight program funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, is scheduled to launch by July 31, project representatives announced in a short statement today (July 3). About XIsaacman and SpaceX Founder and CEO Elon MuskThe company will provide Polaris Dawn’s Dragon capsule. Falcon 9 Rocket has yet to make a statement on social media.
The crew is the first private Spacewalk The Polaris Dawn spacecraft, carrying a SpaceX-made spacesuit and a suite of experiments built specifically for the mission, will orbit the Sun at an altitude of about 435 miles (700 kilometers). Earth, Highest altitude manned flight since Apollo Month Missions from the 1960s and 1970s. For comparison, International Space Station It orbits at an altitude of about 250 miles (400 km).
Polaris Dawn is Polaris Programall funded and directed by Isaacman. Shift4’s founders are all civilians. Inspiration 4 It is due to launch in September 2021, donating $250 million to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee in the process, and Isaacman plans to continue his support with the Polaris program.
Related: How SpaceX’s private Polaris Dawn astronauts will attempt the first-ever ‘all-private’ spacewalk
Other members of the mission include Isaacman, retired United States Air Force (USAF) pilot Lt. Col. Scott Kidd, and SpaceX operations engineers, mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.
Project representatives said the complexity of the mission has necessitated an extension of the development timeline from the original launch target of late 2022. A recent major postponement in February 2024 has pushed the planned April launch until the summer.
“The additional time will continue to provide necessary development time to ensure both the achievement of these mission objectives and the safe launch and return of Dragon and its crew,” the Polaris program said via X at the time.
Poteat emphasized that the training schedule is also evolving. Discussion on “space” in X “In some ways, we’re going further than what NASA has done for generations in terms of identifying stressful environments and situations,” he said, noting that part of that effort involves learning about what teammates are doing well and what areas they need help with.