Update: This morning's scheduled launch of Polaris Dawn was scrubbed due to a ground-side helium leak and has been rescheduled for 3:38 AM on August 28th.
Polaris Dawn will launch on Tuesday no earlier than 3:38 AM EDT. There is a four-hour launch window and an additional launch window the following day. Despite launching from Kennedy Space Center, the launch vehicle, the spacecraft, and the crew are not from NASA. Space travel is inherently risky, but on its way to making history, Polaris Dawn is taking on a lot of risk.
The four-person crew consists of billionaire Jared Isaacman, who financed and will command the mission, Scott Poteet, Isaacman's pilot and friend, and two SpaceX employees. Isaacman previously commanded the Inspiration4, the first commercial human spaceflight with only private citizens aboard. This is the first spaceflight for everyone but Isaacman.
The Dragon capsule will enter a highly elliptical orbit, reaching 1,400 kilometers from Earth and passing through the South Atlantic Anomaly, part of the Van Allen Belt, where the crew will be exposed to high levels of non-ionizing radiation. Their path will take them further from the Earth than any crewed mission since the Apollo program, which carries an increased risk of space debris and micrometeorites.
On day three of the mission, Isaacman and Sarah Gillis from SpaceX are scheduled to participate in the first-ever extra-vehicular activity (EVA) or spacewalk by a private crew on a commercial spacecraft. The Crew Dragon capsule does not have an airlock, so the entire capsule will be depressurized during the EVA, exposing the crew to the near vacuum of space. All four crew will be wearing specially designed suits that can be used for the mission's duration, rather than separate launch/reentry and EVA suits, including the two who will remain on board.
The crew is set to perform dozens of scientific experiments during Polaris Dawn, including studying how the eye responds to microgravity, testing an onboard glucose monitoring device, measuring their exposure to the high-energy neutron radiation of the Van Allen Belt, and using lasers to communicate with Starlink satellites.
Polaris Dawn Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon will also read to patients at St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital from her children's book, Kisses From Space. The crew will also enjoy Doritos specially designed to be eaten in space, where crumbs are not just messy but dangerous. The limited edition glow-in-the-dark cans are only available by donating to St. Jude's. Doritos has already donated $500 million. Isaacman's Inspiration4 raised $240 million for St. Jude Children's Research. Whatever your feelings about private spaceflight, at least this billionaire space tourist is doing some good.
The launch will be simulcast on Space.com.
Previously: SpaceX hired to destroy the International Space Station
