If a private citizen climbing outside of a space capsule in orbit sounds like the worst idea since Stockon Rush decided to build his own submarine, maybe you shouldn’t learn more about the upcoming Polaris Dawn mission. Helmed by billionaire Jared Isaacman, who previously funded the SpaceX Inspriation4 flight, it’ll see regular folks (more or less) climb outside of a SpaceX capsule before getting back in.
Exactly why you’d want to get outside of a Crew Dragon isn’t explained in excruciating detail (more on that in a second) but it should still take place this year. A little later than expected, true, but it should still happen. Maybe. Originally slated for 31 July, that date has been pushed back to at least 19 August 2024.
Polaris dawn of a new age
The delay doesn’t seem to have much to do with concern over the crew — Isaacman, Anna Menon, Scott Poteet, and Sarah Gillis — and is more about SpaceX’s contractual obligations. SpaceX will be flying Crew-9 to the International Space Station with a full crew of four. We guess the pair that took the Boeing Starliner to the ISS won’t return that way unless SpaceX installs another couple of seats and the unfortunate astronauts are willing to wait until February 2025 for their lift to depart.
The Polaris Dawn crew seems to be fine with the delay so far. The mission was originally slated for the end of 2022 but nothing happens especially quickly in rocket science except takeoff. A couple more weeks is just a drop in the bucket for the ongoing Polaris Program.
Polaris Dawn isn’t just about leaving the modified Crew Dragon for a look around, a maneuver intended to test SpaceX’s extravehicular activity suits. It’s also… pretty cool. Experiments will also be conducted on astronaut health, laser-based communication, and other scientific endeavours. Crew Dragon will also attempt to fly further out (700km) than any other SpaceX capsule has during the five-day mission. Assuming everyone returns in one piece, the Polaris Program will likely find another way to send Jared Isaacman into space again.