AFTER blasting off on one of Elon Musk’s rockets, a four-person crew must brave the deadly vacuum of space with the help of specially designed suits.
The Polaris Dawn mission has encountered several stumbling blocks since it was announced over two years ago.
Originally slated to launch in the early hours of August 27, that date has been pushed back twice, most recently due to “unfavorable” weather.
After canceling Wednesday’s launch, the possibility of flying out Thursday was squashed due to predicted conditions off the Florida coast, where the SpaceX Dragon capsule is set to splash down.
If successful, the mission will be more than just the first commercial spacewalk – already a feat itself.
The four-member crew is expected to travel further into space than humans have been in over five decades.
To do so, they need protection from the extreme chill and life-sucking forces of space.
The team will be outfitted in special suits that work in tandem with the design of the Dragon capsule, which incorporates a hatch rather than an airlock.
As they float 435 miles above Earth, crew members will open the hatch and expose the cabin to the void.
“We are going to vent the vehicle entirely down to vacuum. There is no airlock on Dragon,” mission commander Jared Isaacman explained during a press conference last week.
Two astronauts will remain inside the vehicle while two venture out, one after the other.
The spacewalk is projected to last around two hours, factoring in the time it takes to depressurize and repressurize the cabin.
The extravehicular activity suits, designed by SpaceX, will debut with this mission, but the technology is expected to make an appearance in future journeys to space.
“It’s the first time you don’t have government astronauts undertaking such a mission,” Isaacman said last week.
“And that’s important because we are going to get to the moon or Mars someday. We’re going to have to get out of our vehicles, out of the safety of a habitat and explore, and build and repair things.”
The suits differ considerably from those worn by astronauts aboard the ISS. Those Nasa-designed garments have a life support system built into a backpack, making them heavier and bulkier.
SpaceX has taken a different approach. Long tubes called umbilicals will tether to the capsule during the spacewalk, delivering crucial life support.
As Isaacman put it, “Your suit becomes your spaceship.”
The billionaire-cum-astronaut is one of the most notable names attached to the project, having spearheaded the world’s first all-civilian orbital flight in 2021.
Two SpaceX employees, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, will join him for the flight. Gillis trained Isaacman for his first mission, dubbed Inspiration4, while Menon is formerly of Nasa.
Scott Poteet, Isaacman’s close friend and a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force, will also be on board.
Isaacman and Gillis will complete the spacewalk while Menon and Poteet wait inside the aircraft.
The crew members have undergone extensive preparation including scuba and skydiving lessons, and around 2,000 hours elapsed in a simulator.
The Polaris Dawn mission has three key objectives.
The first is to reach an altitude of 1,400 kilometers, or 870 miles – the farthest distance for a crew since the Apollo lunar missions.
By comparison, the International Space Station is located at an altitude of about 400 kilometers, or roughly 250 miles.
A second objective is to test laser communications between the spacecraft and Starlink satellites.
Lastly, there’s the spacewalk, which will be live-streamed during the third day in space.
The jeopardized mission has yet to be rescheduled, but SpaceX continues to monitor for “favorable launch and return conditions.”
Until then, Polaris Dawn’s success hangs in the balance.
The five-day Polaris Dawn expedition will be spearheaded by Jared Isaacman, an entrepreneur who built most of his wealth after founding a payment processing service called Shift4.
The venture is jointly funded by Isaacman and SpaceX. While Musk is the most notable name attached to the project, Isaacman has an impressive resume in his own right.
In 2021, he oversaw the world’s first all-civilian orbital spaceflight, dubbed Inspiration4.
Isaacman funded the mission himself, framing it as a fundraiser for young cancer patients.
While the billionaire declined to share how much he spent on the mission, he vowed to donate $100 million to charity.
Similarly, Polaris Dawn’s fundraising arm will give money to its chosen nonprofit, St. Jude.
