{"id":37394,"date":"2024-08-23T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T11:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=37394"},"modified":"2024-09-14T02:51:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-14T02:51:51","slug":"polaris-dawn-mission-to-earths-orbit-will-test-spacexs-capabilities-for-a-commercial-space-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/polaris-dawn-mission-to-earths-orbit-will-test-spacexs-capabilities-for-a-commercial-space-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Polaris Dawn mission to Earth\u2019s orbit will test SpaceX\u2019s capabilities for a commercial space program"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wendy Whitman Cobb<\/a>, Air University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SpaceX\u2019s upcoming Polaris Dawn mission aims to be historic<\/a> in more ways than one. Polaris Dawn plans to not only orbit Earth higher than any astronauts have in more than 50 years but to also feature the first private spacewalk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mission was originally scheduled to launch August 27, but has encountered delays \u2013 first for a helium leak<\/a> and then for bad weather. SpaceX officials have said they\u2019re monitoring the weather<\/a> to reschedule the launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It will feature a crew of four: the mission\u2019s commander, Jared Isaacman; Scott Poteet, a 20-year Air Force veteran pilot; and SpaceX employees Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis. Launching on a Falcon 9 rocket<\/a>, they will travel in a SpaceX Dragon capsule<\/a> named Resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Two
The crew members of Polaris Dawn in Boca Chica, Texas. Jonathan Newton\/The Washington Post via Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As a space policy expert<\/a>, I see this mission as a major step in the development of commercial spaceflight. If successful, this mission will show that private companies are working on developing the capabilities needed to go to the Moon or Mars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commercial spaceflight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Polaris Dawn\u2019s time in space will be spent testing communications between it and Earth via Starlink satellites<\/a> and completing almost 40 experiments. Many of these experiments<\/a> will study how the human body reacts in low-gravity environments<\/a> and measure the radiation<\/a> the capsule receives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Polaris Dawn\u2019s biggest task will be the first private spacewalk. The spacewalk will<\/a> test out SpaceX\u2019s new extravehicular activity, or EVA, suits<\/a> and learn about how they function in the low-gravity environment of space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polaris Dawn is not the first commercial spaceflight mission SpaceX has launched. In addition to providing launch services to NASA<\/a>, SpaceX also sells flights on its Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon crew capsule to individuals and companies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SpaceX\u2019s first commercial mission, Inspiration4<\/a>, launched in 2021. It was led by Isaacman, Polaris Dawn\u2019s commander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following that mission, Isaacman purchased three additional flights from SpaceX and worked with the company to start the Polaris program. While neither Isaacman nor SpaceX have released exact numbers<\/a>, seats on the Dragon have sold previously<\/a> for about US$55 million.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polaris Dawn is just the first of three planned Polaris missions. While few details have been released about the second, the third mission<\/a> will be the first launch of SpaceX\u2019s Starship with humans on board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

High-flying orbit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Given SpaceX\u2019s ambitions<\/a> to conduct its own missions to the Moon and Mars, it will need to develop and test the many elements that such missions will require. It will need to design and test EVA suits, complete longer missions that mimic the time needed to get to places such as the Moon and demonstrate an ability to communicate with Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polaris Dawn\u2019s high-flying orbit will send humans farther<\/a> from Earth than they have been in more than 50 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At its peak, Polaris Dawn plans to reach an orbit of more than 850 miles (1367 kilometers)<\/a> from Earth. That\u2019s more than twice the distance between Earth and the International Space Station, which orbits about 254 miles (408 km) up<\/a>. It\u2019ll also be the highest orbit humans have reached since the Apollo program<\/a> sent astronauts around and to the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testing new suits<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps more importantly, the spacewalk will test out SpaceX\u2019s new EVA suits<\/a>. Developing these suits is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks to accomplish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A Polaris Dawn crew member tries on SpaceX\u2019s extravehicular activity suit. SpaceX<\/a>, CC BY-NC-ND<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

NASA learned early on that spacesuits are incredibly tricky<\/a>. They must provide life support and protection from the space environment while allowing astronauts to move about. This is particularly tricky, as fully pressurized suits are bulky and hard to move in, leading to exhaustion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NASA developed its current generation of EVA suits<\/a> in the 1980s. Just this summer, NASA canceled several spacewalks because of suit discomfort<\/a> and coolant leaks<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Polaris Dawn crew is scheduled to conduct their extravehicular activities on Aug. 30. To do so, they will lower their orbit<\/a> to approximately 434 miles (700 km) to reduce the crew\u2019s exposure to radiation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All four of Polaris Dawn\u2019s crew members will suit up for the spacewalk<\/a>. After depressurizing the entire capsule, two of the crew \u2013 Isaacman and Gillis \u2013 will leave the relative safety of the Dragon capsule to spend approximately two hours in space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A charitable cause<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Polaris and Polaris Dawn are seeking to raise money for children\u2019s cancer research while also expanding SpaceX\u2019s capabilities for space exploration. As a tech billionaire, Isaacman has a long history<\/a> of charitable giving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Isaacman\u2019s earlier Inspiration4 mission<\/a>, Polaris Dawn is also raising funds<\/a> for St. Jude Children\u2019s Research Hospital, in one case soliciting donations in return for Doritos chips<\/a> specially developed for space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 and the commander of Polaris Dawn, stands in front of a plane. AP Photo\/John Raoux<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Isaacman\u2019s commitment to coupling this mission with his philanthropy suggests that he understands many people\u2019s critiques of the so-called billionaire space club<\/a>. These arguments often include the idea that billionaires such as Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos would help people more by spending their money on things like poverty alleviation rather than on space missions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While private missions like this aren\u2019t funded by tax dollars<\/a> and don\u2019t require public support, Isaacman\u2019s decision to make St. Jude a partner creates tangible and immediate benefits on Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like many of SpaceX\u2019s activities, Polaris Dawn is ambitious, but it is necessary for the company\u2019s future plans. Before SpaceX can run to Mars, it must first walk \u2013 or spacewalk, to be more precise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article was updated on Aug. 27, 2024, to include the first launch delay, and Aug. 28, 2024, to include the weather delay.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wendy Whitman Cobb<\/a>, Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, Air University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wendy Whitman Cobb, Air University SpaceX\u2019s upcoming Polaris Dawn mission aims to be historic in more ways than one. Polaris Dawn plans to not only orbit Earth higher than any astronauts have in more than 50 years but to also feature the first private spacewalk. The mission was originally scheduled to launch August 27, but […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":37395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,279,276,10,3410,9],"tags":[5963,885,891,886,860,4492,1105,5962],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37394"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37394"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37394\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37396,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37394\/revisions\/37396"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}