SpaceX has now announced the target launch date for the Polaris Dawn mission, a renowned program that will bring civilian astronauts to a deeper part of space, combined with an iconic spacewalk. Initially, the Polaris Dawn faced a delay from SpaceX because of two reasons, first, it was because of the NASA Commercial Crew program, with Crew-9 being prioritized, and next was Falcon 9's earlier mishap.
That being said, the Polaris Dawn mission is now set to launch earlier than Crew-9, with the all-civilian mission given the green light for it to begin.
SpaceX Polaris Dawn Mission Launch Date Now Set
Polaris Program
The Polaris Program's X account has confirmed that it and SpaceX are targeting a launch date come Monday, August 26, to launch the Polaris Dawn mission bringing four civilian astronauts to space. The mission would come "no earlier than August 26," and if all systems are a go or there are no natural catastrophes or hindrances, it would launch comethis time.
The mission would feature all-American astronauts aboard SpaceX's Dragon and Falcon spacecraft, with Isaacman commanding the team, also his second time in space.
It would focus on reaching a farther distance for commercial astronauts, about 435 miles altitude, also testing out Falcon 9 and Dragon's maximum output.
The upcoming civilian space flight would also be the farthest the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft has flown, and its goal is to understand the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on humans better. The Polaris mission would be farther compared to the International Space Station, with its ultimate goal centering on helping the future Mars mission.
The Polaris Dawn Program and SpaceX
After the iconic Inspiration4 mission led by commercial astronaut and Shift4 CEO, Jared Isaacman, he had another mission in mind with SpaceX as the partner, and it is known as the Polaris Dawn. This next mission for Isaacman is set to be more ambitious, particularly with the first-ever commercial spacewalk that would be done by civilians in its proposed five-day mission.
However, the all-civilian astronaut mission has seen its fair share of delays, particularly as it was first plannedto commence by December 2022, but it did not push through. One of its rescheduled launch windows was in March 2023, but this too has seen a delay from SpaceX, with Isaacman and his new crew hanging back, awaiting the date that its mission would move forward.
Its July 2024 launch window was also delayed after it followed an FAA suspension for SpaceX's Falcon 9, and when it was permitted to launch again, Crew-9 was said to be prioritized. Now, Polaris Dawn will be at the forefront of launches again for SpaceX, getting a target launch date come August 26, looking forward to the farthest commercial spacewalk for humans in history.
