Polaris Dawn Mission
Polaris Dawn was a privately funded space journey conducted by SpaceX for Shift4 CEO Jared Isaacman, marking the
initial of three planned missions under the Polaris program. It took off on September 10, 2024, becoming the 14th orbital
flight with a crew on a Crew Dragon spacecraft. Jared Isaacman, along with his team of three — Scott Poteet, Sarah Gillis,
and Anna Menon — embarked on a journey in an elliptical orbit that stretched them 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from Earth,
the farthest distance from the planet since the Apollo missions of NASA. During their journey, they navigated through sections
of the Van Allen radiation belt to investigate the impact of space radiation and space travel on human health. Towards the end
of their mission, the team accomplished the first-ever commercial spacewalk.
The five-day Polaris Dawn journey was the fifth exclusive trip for SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule. It represented the company's most daring venture, with the crew and their spacecraft performing various dangerous actions.
Leading the way was the solo spacewalk by Isaacman and Gillis on Thursday. They left the Dragon capsule attached to a cable, each enjoying about 10 minutes in the space's emptiness. During this time, they carried out tests on how well their specially made spacesuits worked for moving around.
After five days SpaceX's Polaris Dawn crew has returned to Earthin orbit,
As the spacecraft re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, it approached temperatures of 1,900C (3,500 degrees Fahrenheit), a result of the intense heat and resistance from moving through the atmosphere at speeds of around 7,000mph (27,000kph).
A four-person civilian crew, financed and directed by billionaire Jared Isaacman,
The team included Scott Poteet, a former US Air Force pilot, and employees of SpaceX, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.
Mr. Isaacman and Ms. Gillis became the first civilians to conduct a spacewalk, a dangerous task that involves lowering the air pressure inside the spacecraft and leaving it.
This was the first time anyone had attempted this without being part of a government-funded space program.
Live footage showed the two astronauts step out of the white Dragon spacecraft and float 435 miles (700km)
⎪SpaceX spacecraft descended into the ocean near Florida's coast at 3:36 a.m. ET on Sunday morning, concluding a groundbreaking journey that featured the globe's initial all-civilian spacewalk.⎪
