The Polaris Dawn mission has garnered significant attention as it prepares to make history with the first-ever spacewalk by commercial space travelers. This landmark mission, backed by Elon Musk‘s SpaceX, represents a significant step forward in the evolution of space exploration, demonstrating the growing role of private enterprise in a domain traditionally dominated by government agencies.
Polaris Dawn is part of an emerging trend in orbital spaceflight that runs parallel to government-backed missions like the upcoming US Artemis missions, which aim to return humans to the Moon. Unlike these government missions, Polaris Dawn is privately funded and crewed by non-professional astronauts, including a businessman, a fighter pilot, and two SpaceX employees.
The four crew members are scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, August 28. During their five-day mission, they will travel further from Earth than any humans have since the Apollo missions, reaching an altitude of up to 1,400 km.
Historic Spacewalk and Ambitious Objectives
A key highlight of the mission is the planned spacewalk, known formally as an extravehicular activity (EVA), which will see the crew stepping into the vacuum of space from the Dragon capsule. This spacewalk will differ from those conducted on the International Space Station (ISS) as the Crew Dragon lacks an airlock, requiring the entire spacecraft to be depressurized for the EVA.
Jared Isaacman, an American businessman and the mission’s commander, along with SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis, will perform the EVA. The crew will rely on life support delivered through umbilical cords connected to the spacecraft, a design innovation by SpaceX that contrasts with the traditional, bulkier NASA spacesuits.
In addition to the spacewalk, the mission’s objectives include testing the effects of space radiation on human health by traveling through the Van Allen radiation belts, as well as conducting experiments related to vision in microgravity and testing a laser-based communication system that could inform future space communications.
Risks and Rewards
While the mission’s goals are ambitious, they also come with inherent risks. None of the crew members are professional astronauts, and it is the first spaceflight for three of the four participants. Despite their extensive training, the lack of professional astronauts on board adds an element of uncertainty to the mission.
Nevertheless, Polaris Dawn is not just about pushing the boundaries of what is possible in space; it also aims to make a difference on Earth. Isaacman, who raised over $240 million for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during his first spaceflight, Inspiration4, plans to replicate that philanthropic success with this mission. The Polaris Dawn website invites donations to St. Jude, with a focus on improving childhood cancer treatment worldwide.
Vision for the Future
Polaris Dawn is the first of three missions in the privately funded Polaris Program. As more commercial missions like this one take place, the cost of access to orbit is expected to decrease, potentially democratizing spaceflight and making it accessible to a broader range of people, beyond professional astronauts and the super-rich.
The mission will utilize the Dragon spacecraft named Resilience, which previously made history in 2020 as the first vehicle to launch US astronauts from American soil since the retirement of the Space Shuttle.
The Polaris Dawn mission symbolizes the connection between the achievements of past space exploration and the exciting possibilities of the present, blending the legacy of the Apollo era with the aspirations of the Artemis generation. As humanity continues to expand its presence beyond Earth, missions like Polaris Dawn may inspire future generations to view space as a natural extension of human exploration and ambition.
