Polaris Dawn: Historic Spacewalk and Record-Setting Mission with SpaceX Crew Dragon

The Polaris Dawn mission, led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, will make history with the first commercial spacewalk and a record-setting 1,400-kilometer orbit. The five-day mission, launching on August 26, 2024, will push the boundaries of space exploration and technology.

Polaris Dawn to Make History with First Commercial Spacewalk and Record-Setting Orbital Flight

The Polaris Program, led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, and SpaceX have shared the most recent information regarding their forthcoming mission on the 26th. According to Wccftech, this mission will be the first commercial spacewalk in human history and shatter the record for the highest altitude spaceflight in orbit since the Apollo program. Isaacman, the pilot of Polaris Dawn, Kid Poteet, and the astronauts from SpaceX, Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon, will embark on a five-day mission in orbit later this month. During this time, they will conduct a spacewalk and conduct experiments. Isaacman and his crew disclosed the specifics of the Polaris Dawn mission during a media call on August 19. This mission substantially enhances the engineering capabilities of SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Isaacman initiated the mission profile by describing Polaris Dawn's launch on Falcon 9 and subsequent placement in an orbit of 1,200 kilometers. This orbit will eventually increase to 1,400 kilometers, setting a new record. He estimates that "this is the farthest humans have traveled since the last time humans walked on the Moon more than fifty years ago."

He further stated that the record endeavor will provide a wealth of knowledge for science, human health, and spacecraft endurance, particularly in light of the radiation. Isaacman noted that the crew will remain at this altitude for "the shortest amount of time, um, that's necessary to gather the data we want" before descending to 1,200 kilometers to set another record.

This will be the inaugural spacewalk conducted by an utterly commercial crew. The primary objective of this spacewalk is to evaluate SpaceX's initial iteration of spacewalk suits and to provide feedback on the design of future applications, such as Mars missions. This is arguably the most hazardous part of the flight, as two crew members will exit the spacecraft while all four are subjected to the vacuum of space.

Isaacman specified that the entire spacewalk operation, which encompasses the evacuation of the spacecraft and the subsequent depressurization, will require two hours. The actual time spent outside the vehicle will be "somewhere in the neighborhood of, you know, fifteen to twenty minutes each while we're out there,"

SpaceX Enhances Crew Dragon for Historic Polaris Dawn Spacewalk with Advanced Life Support Upgrades

Sarah Gillis of SpaceX has stated that the crew will initiate a pre-breath protocol approximately one hour after reaching orbit. This protocol is designed to prevent decompression syndrome by purging their bodies of nitrogen once the Crew Dragon is depressurized to vacuum levels. On the second day of the voyage, the crew will don their spacesuits and pressurize them before conducting a check to prepare for the spacewalk the following day. The spacewalk will commence on the third day, following the final pre-breath with pure oxygen.

The life support system was upgraded to increase the quantity of oxygen supplied to the suit as part of the Dragon's modification to satisfy the mission requirements. Additionally, the vessel's environmental sensing array was upgraded to ensure the crew was adequately monitored throughout their voyage. Additionally, SpaceX has implemented a novel nitrogen pressurization system that will repressurize the Dragon after the spacewalk.

Before the mission, SpaceX had depressurized and repressurized Crew Dragon on Earth to test its systems and remove contaminants. An additional enhancement pertains to the forward module. During their space expedition, the crew will utilize the “Skywalker” as a handhold and foothold. The hatch has been equipped with additional handhelds for interior operations, and a new motor has been installed on the forward hatch.

During the mission, a Starlink laser link on the Dragon's trunk will communicate with satellites in orbit for the first laser-based Starlink test on a crewed spaceflight. As per Isaacman, this test has the potential to "open up an entirely new communication pathway, uh, not just for Dragon" but also for others such as "Starships, or other satellites or telescopes out there" to "free up some of the burden on the, you know, existing TDRSS and ground station infrastructure."

The Polaris Program has two additional missions following Polaris Dawn. Polaris II and Polaris III will augment the knowledge acquired from the forthcoming mission and modify the vehicle. This is because Polaris III is intended to be the first human spaceflight conducted by Starship. The final liftoff time for Polaris Dawn will be determined on the launch day, which is scheduled for August 26.