WASHINGTON – The pioneering private crew of the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission is preparing to enter the history books this Thursday, as it will become the first group of non-professional astronauts to conduct a spacewalk. Fintech billionaire Jared Isaacman led the crew, launching earlier this week from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center all the way out to 870 miles (1,400 kilometers), the farthest any humans have gone in space in the last half-century.
Mission Overview
The first of three missions under the Polaris Program, the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission launched on Tuesday. Reaching a part of space known as the inner Van Allen radiation belt, the crew of four prepared for the mission’s highlight: a spacewalk scheduled for 0958 GMT Thursday. Such a spacewalk will be testing SpaceX’s next-generation suits in the extreme environment of space.
Challenges Ahead
Unlike most spacewalks, where the astronauts stay attached to their spacecraft, the crew of Polaris Dawn will simply stay near the Dragon capsule as they orbit Earth at speeds as high as 17,500 mph. Because the capsule doesn’t have an airlock, the whole crew is directly exposed to the vacuum of space during the two-hour spacewalk.
Before the EVA, the crew will “pre-breathe” to take the nitrogen out of their blood to prevent decompression sickness. The cabin pressure is reduced, and Jared Isaacman and his fellow crew, Sarah Gillis, will take turns exiting through a structure called “Skywalker” fitted with hand and footholds for stability during the spacewalk.
Advanced Space Suit Testing
The mission is also going to test the capabilities of new suits that SpaceX has been equipping with heads-up displays, helmet cameras, and better mobility systems. Such suits are important for future manned missions, including the flights to the Moon and Mars.
Backup Crew and Scientific Research
Isaacman and Gillis will be assigned to the spacewalk, while Scott Poteet, mission pilot, and Anna Menon, an engineer at SpaceX, will monitor the vital systems of the spacecraft. Other than the EVA, the crew is supposed to conduct 36 science experiments, including testing laser-based communications between satellites, apart from checking contact lenses embedded with micro-electronics for keeping track of changes in eye pressure in space.
Future of Space Exploration
But the Polaris Dawn mission is only the opening salvo of the most ambitious projects yet. The third, and final, flight in the Polaris sequence will be the maiden crewed voyage of SpaceX’s Starship-a new-generation rocket key to Elon Musk’s goal of colonizing Mars. Isaacman, who funded the 2021 Inspiration4 mission, reportedly sank $200 million into the Polaris program, pushing the boundaries even farther on space exploration and commercialization.
