ECNETNews reports that SpaceX has successfully launched the Polaris Dawn mission, marking a historic attempt at the first-ever civilian spacewalk and one of the most ambitious extravehicular activities (EVA) in space exploration history.
The mission’s crew will spend up to five days orbiting Earth, with a significant spacewalk planned for the third day. During this groundbreaking EVA, the spacecraft will undergo depressurization for approximately two hours, necessitating that the two crew members remaining inside the Crew Dragon capsule also wear spacesuits.
This mission diverges from traditional spacewalk protocols, which typically involve an airlock that protects astronauts from the vacuum of space while exiting the spacecraft. Instead, the Crew Dragon capsule being utilized lacks an airlock, reminiscent of the early spaceflight era of the 1960s and 1970s. Notably, Polaris Dawn’s crew consists of private civilians, a departure from previous missions that exclusively featured government-trained astronauts.
Adding to the mission’s complexity is the use of newly designed spacesuits, which, although rigorously tested on Earth, introduce additional risks. Furthermore, this flight will travel further from Earth than any human has ventured since the Apollo program concluded in 1972.
At the helm of this ambitious mission is Jared Isaacman, the head of SpaceX’s Polaris programme and a billionaire co-funder. His crew features retired US Air Force test pilot Scott Poteet, alongside SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.
The Crew Dragon capsule utilized for this mission, named Resilience, was launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket, marking its third flight. The reusable Falcon 9 first stage successfully returned to Earth, landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
In addition to Polaris Dawn, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsules are instrumental in transporting astronauts and supplies to and from the International Space Station. One such capsule is scheduled to return stranded NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams to Earth in early 2025 following complications with the Boeing Starliner.
