SpaceX reschedules Polaris Dawn mission to August 27 for historic spacewalk
SpaceX has rescheduled the launch of its Polaris Dawn mission from August 26 to August 27 to allow more time for preflight checkouts. The mission, funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, aims to achieve several historic milestones, including the first-ever private spacewalk and the highest orbit around Earth in over half a century. The launch will take place from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the new launch window opening at 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT).
The Polaris Dawn mission will see a four-member crew, led by SpaceX's Cmdr. Jared Isaacman, reach an altitude of approximately 1,400 kilometers (870 miles), surpassing the record set by the Gemini 11 mission in 1966. The crew, which includes pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet, medical officer and mission specialist Sarah Gillis, and another mission specialist, will conduct a spacewalk at an altitude of 500 kilometers. The five-day mission will also aim to study the effects of elevated radiation levels on astronauts' health and raise funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The mission will conclude with a parachute-assisted splashdown landing.
