Mumbai, August 9: The first-ever private spacewalk will soon be recorded as Elon Musk's SpaceX sets to launch the Polaris Dawn Mission on August 26, 2024. The Polaris Dawn, named after the constellation Polaris aka the guiding North Star, is a 5-day mission that will launch 4 astronauts to an altitude of approximately 700km in space. It will be the highest Earth orbit ever flown and SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft will be used for this feat.

The Polaris Dawm Mission is scheduled to launch later this month on August 26 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida of the US. It is the first of the three missions under the Polaris Programme, funded by Jared Isaacman, the American entrepreneur, pilot and space tourist. The crew members of the Dawn mission include commander Jared Isaacman, retired US Air Force pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both SpaceX engineers. Sunita Williams, Barry Butch Wilmore Stuck in Space: NASA Runs 1,00,000 Simulations for Safe Return of Astronauts From International Space Station.

Polaris Dawn Mission Sets Its Launch Date

Mission Objectives of Polaris Dawn:

Although the Dragon won't dock with the International Space Station (ISS), it will operate as a free-flying mission in Earth orbit. The mission objective of Dawn include testing Starlink’s laser-based communications and advancing research on the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health. It will also serve the philanthropic cause of raising funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Further, it will also test the functionality of SpaceX's new Extravehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuits that will support the Dawn crew in the vacuum of space. NASA, SpaceX and Northrop Grumman Plan To Launch 21st Cargo Delivery Mission to International Space Station Using Cygnus Spacecraft.

Flight Testings Conducted for Polaris Mission

The other two mission included in the Polaris Programme will not only further in-space communications and scientific research, but Mission III will achieve yet another feat. It will be the first-human spaceflight on SpaceX's Starship— world’s first fully reusable transportation system. The Polaris Dawn crew's work will provide valuable data for future space communications systems necessary for missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond, and further the private space industry.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 09, 2024 01:28 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).