The historic Polaris Dawn mission has finally started: amateur astronauts set off on a record-breaking journey

On Tuesday, September 10, at 12:25 a.m., SpaceX launched its long-awaited Polaris Dawn mission. This is a historic event because, during the five-day space journey, the Crew Dragon spacecraft will reach a record altitude for an orbit around the Earth - about 1,400 kilometers, which is three times the height of the International Space Station (ISS).

It is also the first-ever private spacewalk with four amateur astronauts. The mission was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket, Space.com reports.

Both the launch and the spacewalk, which is scheduled for Day 3 of the mission (September 13), are broadcast live on the Polaris Dawn and SpaceX channels on the X network and on YouTube.

The flight was originally scheduled for August 26, but SpaceX postponed it three times to conduct additional checks and wait for the most favorable weather conditions.

A mission that will set several records

The flight plan stipulates that after launch, Crew Dragon will enter an intermediate orbit with a perigee altitude of 190 km, an apogee altitude of 1200 km, and an inclination of 51.6°. After the crew tests all systems, the spacecraft will perform a maneuver that will raise its apogee altitude to 1400 km. Thus, Polaris Dawn will break the altitude record of 1372 km, which was set back in 1966 by the Gemini 11 mission.

Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned crewed missions in the Polaris program, which is funded by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacson. Isaacman, former US Air Force lieutenant colonel and mission pilot Scott Potit, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon went on a five-day trip to Earth's orbit.

Interestingly, Polaris Dawn was the first spaceflight for Poteet, Gillis, and Menon. But Isaacman was already in orbit in September 2021 as part of SpaceX's pioneering Inspiration4 mission.

During the Polaris Dawn spacewalk, Isaacson and Gillis will go into space to test new spacesuits in the vacuum of space. This journey will be dangerous, as all four crew members and the interior of the Crew Dragon will be exposed to the space vacuum. According to experts, this situation can make it difficult to re-lock the capsule hatch due to pressure differences. Exposure to vacuum can cause toxins to be released from the hardware when the cabin is resealed. However, SpaceX scientists said they have taken all necessary measures to prevent this.

The crew will also conduct a number of scientific and technical tests in orbit.

The mission will also go down in spaceflight history because Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon will plunge deeper into the void of space than any women have ever done before. After all, all the Apollo astronauts were men.

A dangerous trip to the radiation belt

According to SpaceX, the Dragon capsule with crew members will pass through the inner Van Allen radiation belt, one of the two donut-shaped bands of high-energy particles of the Sun.

Astronauts traveling on longer and farther missions – such as to Mars – must safely pass through these belts to reach outer space. Therefore, the Polaris Dawn mission is a unique opportunity to conduct research in an environment with high radiation.

SpaceX emphasized that the Polaris program aims to demonstrate important operational capabilities that will serve as building blocks for further human exploration of the Moon, Mars, and other places.

Only verified information is available on the OBOZ.UA Telegram channel and Viber. Do not fall for fakes