SpaceX has set its sights on launching the all-civilian Polaris Dawn mission on Tuesday, September 10. This significant event will see a Crew Dragon spacecraft reaching its highest orbit yet and is set to include the first commercial spacewalk.
The mission, spearheaded by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, will be streamed live from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Continue reading for all the details on how to tune in.
This mission is led by Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and the CEO of payment processing company Shift4. Isaacman is not new to space travel; he previously journeyed to space during the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, which he also financed, and he is the primary funder for the Polaris Dawn mission.
Joining Isaacman on this exciting voyage are three other crew members: Scott Poteet, a retired lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Air Force; Sarah Gillis, a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX in charge of astronaut training; and Anna Menon, another lead space operations engineer at SpaceX who oversees crew operations and participates in mission control.
The crew is currently en route to the launchpad, gearing up for liftoff scheduled at 3:38 a.m. ET.
The Polaris Dawn crew is departing the suit up room on their way to the pad at 39A! pic.twitter.com/TyQDB07NvF
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 10, 2024
This five-day mission will allow the Crew Dragon spacecraft to ascend to an unprecedented altitude of around 435 miles (700 kilometers) above Earth, surpassing the 185 miles (298 kilometers) of the International Space Station, which is the typical destination for NASA’s crew transport missions.
In an exciting twist, Isaacman and Gillis will conduct a two-hour spacewalk during which they will test a newly designed spacesuit to ensure its functionality in the vacuum of space.
SpaceX has stated that “the development of this suit and the execution of the spacewalk will be essential in advancing the design of spacesuits for future long-duration missions,” as noted on the Polaris Dawn site.
Additionally, the crew plans to perform various scientific and technological experiments while in orbit.
How to Watch
SpaceX is aiming for a launch window that opens at 3:38 a.m. ET (12:38 a.m. PT) on Tuesday, September 10, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch window will last for four hours, and a live feed showcasing final preparations will start just after midnight ET.
You can follow the Falcon 9 rocket’s journey to space via SpaceX’s account on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Coverage will include live images from the ground, outside the rocket, and from inside the Crew Dragon capsule.
For any updates regarding the launch schedule, we will make sure to provide timely information. For the most current details, check out Polaris Dawn’s account on X.
