Many are getting excited about the Polaris Dawn mission that is launching soon, and this also includes the renowned billionaire, tech mogul, and SpaceX CEO and co-founder, Elon Musk. Over the weekend, the eccentric tech executive teased that the mission will be "epic," showing off his anticipation for the upcoming launch that is set to take place next week.
SpaceX will fulfill the launch and vehicle of the Polaris Dawn mission, bringing the four civilian astronauts to a point farther than the Earth's orbit.
Elon Musk Teases SpaceX's Polaris Dawn Mission to be 'Epic'
Polaris Program
SpaceX's CEO posted about the Polaris Dawn mission that is set for next week, no earlier than Monday, August 26, claiming that the upcoming journey "will be epic." The tech executive also said that this would be SpaceX's "first" spacewalk mission that it will carry out, centering on the all-civilian spaceflight that would be led by Shift4's Jared Isaacman.
It is known that SpaceX's Crew Dragon would seat the four astronauts, while its Falcon 9 would be responsible for bringing it to orbit. The mission will launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
What to Expect in the 'Historic' Polaris Dawn Mission?
First off, the Polaris Dawn would bring four civilian astronauts to space, and it would try to reach 435 miles or 700 kilometers from the ground, where it would orbit for several days. It is Crew Dragon's maximum distance and is 185 miles farther than the International Space Station.
What made the mission "historic" was its plans to conduct the first commercial spacewalk with its civilian crew members, also testing SpaceX's EVA (extravehicular activity) spacesuits.
SpaceX and Polaris Dawn would also measure valuable data with regards to how space affects the human body, in preparation for the space company's plans to go to the Moon and Mars.
The Polaris Dawn Mission's Awaited Launch
In a bid to raise awareness, travel more in space, and bring more civilians to become astronauts, the Polaris Dawn idea was born from one-time space alumni, Jared Isaacman. The idea was first brought to life in 2022, selecting SpaceX again to bring the new batch of astronauts to the cosmos, making this Isaacman's second venture to the great beyond after his stint in 2021's Inspiration4.
However, the mission saw several delays on different ends, with its first pushback taking place in December 2022, its first supposed launch, to March 2023. That being said, it was later moved to 2024, with a set window planned for July, but also faced a rescheduling from the company to prioritize the NASA Crew-9 mission, but both were also pushedfurther than their original timelines.
The Polaris Dawn was able to secure a late August launch, while NASA's Crew-9 was moved to September, with the all-civilian crew mission going ahead as it remains on schedule.
Soon, the world will see Polaris Dawn take flight aboard the Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 which would take civilians farther than the orbit, as well as conduct the historic spacewalk, all of which are anticipated by Elon Musk.
