Polaris Dawn: A New Chapter in SpaceX's Manned Space Flights

Almost three years after his first mission into space, Jared Isaacman, a well-known entrepreneur and billionaire, is heading back into space. His first mission, Inspiration4, made history as the first space mission crewed entirely by private individuals, not professional astronauts. But this time, the Polaris Dawn mission sets even more ambitious goals, aiming to push the boundaries of human space exploration.

One of the key features of Polaris Dawn is that this mission will be the farthest ever conducted using SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. Moreover, it will be the first mission since the Apollo program to cross parts of the Van Allen radiation belt.

Polaris Dawn will also be the first mission in history where a commercial crew will perform a spacewalk. The four crew members, upon reaching an altitude of about 700 kilometers above Earth, will attempt the first commercial extravehicular activity (EVA) to test Dragon's ability to support spacewalks and to trial new SpaceX spacesuits.

This mission, conducted in collaboration with SpaceX, aims to accelerate the company's vision of creating conditions for life on other planets. Polaris Dawn is also one of three missions planned in the program, including the first crewed flight of the Starship spacecraft.

The spacesuits to be used in the Polaris Dawn mission play a crucial role in SpaceX's future plans for establishing permanent bases on the Moon and Mars. These suits are an evolution of the intravehicular activity suits used inside Dragon capsules and have been upgraded to work in the vacuum of space. Innovations include new thermal protection boots, helmet displays for spacewalk use, and improved joints for greater mobility.

Additionally, the Dragon spacecraft itself has been upgraded to support the crew throughout the mission. All four crew members will be equipped with EVA suits, though only two will actually exit the spacecraft. SpaceX has enhanced life support systems, adding more oxygen, improving environmental monitoring, and developing a new pressure control system.

The Polaris Dawn crew will also test Starlink's laser communications in space, checking the possibility of connecting to the Starlink satellite network directly from orbit. Additionally, the crew will participate in scientific experiments, including measuring the impact of radiation on the human body as they pass through the Van Allen radiation belt.

Polaris Dawn is set to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket on August 27 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. A live broadcast of the launch will be available on the X channel.