The image, taken from a video, shows the upper stage engine of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on July 11, 2024. (SpaceX)
A four-person team is gearing up for SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission, set to launch from Florida on August 26. This mission marks a significant milestone as it includes the first spacewalk managed by a private entity. Previously, spacewalks have been exclusive to government astronauts.
The crew includes a mix of backgrounds: a billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military fighter pilot, and two SpaceX employees. They have been training for over two years to prepare for their mission, which involves venturing outside their Crew Dragon capsule while in Earth’s orbit for a tethered spacewalk.
This mission represents a crucial test for SpaceX’s new spacesuits and is a step forward in the company’s ambitious plans, led by Elon Musk, to establish human colonies on Mars eventually. “Whatever risk associated with it, it is worth it,” said Jared Isaacman, the mission commander. Isaacman, who is also the CEO of Shift4, is financing this and other Polaris missions. Although he did not reveal the total cost, it is known to be in the hundreds of millions.
The mission is scheduled to lift off at 3:38 a.m. ET (0738 GMT) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. It will last six days, with the spacewalk—officially known as Extravehicular Activity (EVA)—planned for the third day.
The crew members include mission pilot Scott Poteet, a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who previously participated in the Inspiration4 mission, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, who will serve as mission specialists. Since the Crew Dragon capsule does not have an airlock, the entire cabin will be depressurized to allow the spacewalk. While both Isaacman and Gillis will conduct the spacewalk outside the spacecraft, the other crew members will remain inside.
Historically, spacewalks have been conducted only by government astronauts from the U.S., Russia, the European Space Agency, Canada, and China. Over 270 spacewalks have been carried out since 2000, using American and Russian spacesuits.
Bill Gerstenmaier, a SpaceX vice-president and former NASA human spaceflight chief, acknowledged the risks involved but emphasized the thorough preparation done for this mission. “EVA is a risky adventure. But again, we did all the work to really get ready for this,” he said. Gerstenmaier noted that SpaceX’s efforts build upon and extend NASA’s legacy in space exploration.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule has been used for NASA missions to the International Space Station, but this private spacewalk is a new milestone. Isaacman’s first mission, Inspiration4, was the first all-civilian, privately funded flight into orbit. Next year, SpaceX plans to launch a crew for a groundbreaking mission to orbit the Earth pole-to-pole.
