On August 27, 2024, SpaceX is ready to launch the Polaris Dawn missionone of the most ambitious in the field of commercial space exploration. The launch will take place from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 3:38 a.m. ET, with additional launch opportunities scheduled for 5:23 a.m. and 7:09 a.m. the same day. If necessary, backup opportunities are provided the following day at the same times.
The mission will be broadcast live approximately three and a half hours before launch, allowing fans to follow the event in real time. The Falcon 9 launcher will carry the Dragon spacecraft into orbitalready protagonist of the Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station and the Inspiration4 mission, the first all-civilian orbital flight.
This will be the fourth mission for the rocket’s first stage, which has already supported the launch of Crew-8 and two Starlink missions. After first-stage separation, the rocket will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas drone platform in the Atlantic. Polaris Dawn sets itself crucial scientific objectives, will reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown since the Apollo program And will perform the first commercial extravehicular activity (EVA) using spacesuits developed by SpaceX.
The crew members, led by mission commander Jared Isaacman, Kidd Poteet, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, will conduct 36 scientific studies and experiments, in collaboration with 31 partners, to promote human health on Earth and during long-duration spaceflight and will test Starlink-based laser communications in space, a technology that could revolutionize interplanetary telecommunications. In addition, the crew will wear the innovative suits made by SpaceX.
