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The launch date for the first commercial spaceflight that includes a spacewalk has now been set.
Polaris DawnThe spacecraft, part of a private human spaceflight program funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, won’t launch before July 31, project representatives announced in a brief statement today (July 3). On XIsaac and SpaceX Founder and Chairman of the Executive Board Elon Muskwhose company will provide Polaris Dawn’s Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 The missile has not issued any statement yet via social media.
The crew plans to make the first-ever private flight. space walk With special SpaceX spacesuits designed specifically for the effort, along with a suite of experiments, Polaris Dawn’s orbit will take the mission to an altitude of about 435 miles (700 kilometers) above Land, On the highest manned flight since Apollo moon Missions in the 1960s and 1970s. For comparison, International Space Station The planet orbits at a distance of about 250 miles (400 km).
The Polaris Dawn mission will be the first of three. Polaris Programall funded and led by Isaacman. Shift4’s founder also led and funded the entire civilian group. Inspiration4 The project launched in September 2021, raising $250 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee along the way; Isaacman plans to continue that support through Polaris missions.
Related: How SpaceX astronauts aboard the private Polaris Dawn spacecraft will attempt the first-ever “all-civilian” spacewalk
In addition to Isaacman, the mission includes retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kid” Poteet as pilot, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both SpaceX operations engineers.
According to project representatives, the complexity of the mission required delays during development from an initial launch target of late 2022. A recent major delay in February 2024 pushed the expected launch in April back to the summer.
“The additional time continues to provide the development time necessary to ensure completion of these mission objectives and the safe launch and return of Dragon and the crew,” Polaris said via X at the time.
The training schedule is also evolving, Poteet confirmed. Discussing “Spaces” on X “We focused on what NASA has done for generations in terms of identifying environments and situations that cause stress,” he said on May 4, noting that part of the work was to identify where teammates were succeeding and where they might need help.
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