Watch Live as SpaceX Attempts the Historic Launch of the First Private Spacewalk Mission

The billionaire and his crew of three are hoping to make history as they prepare to launch into space on a mission that is set to include the first human spacewalk.

The Polaris Dawn crew will launch the SpaceX Crew Dragon, with a Falcon 9 rocket performing lift operations. Blast off is scheduled to take place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 3:38 a.m. ET on Tuesday, August 27. In the event that SpaceX needs to postpone the launch, the company said on its website that there are two deadlines that morning, one at 5:00 p.m. -23 am and another at 7:09 am If the launch at those times is not possible, the launch may take place the next morning.

The launch will be streamed live from 3.5 hours before it goes live on the SpaceX website, and on X.

If Polaris Dawn goes ahead as planned, the Crew Dragon capsule is expected to reach a high orbit of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) above Earth. This will not only mark the highest altitude reached by Dragon but will also set a new record for the highest Earth orbit apogee. The current record, held by the 1966 Gemini XI mission, is 853 kilometers (1,373 miles). While the Apollo missions traveled a long distance to reach the Moon, they did not reach such heights while orbiting the Earth.

The crew plans to stay in orbit for up to five days, during which they will conduct more than 30 research studies and experiments. This includes collecting data on radiation conditions in space and conducting several experiments related to human life in space. In terms of missions, the capsule will lower its orbit to 435 miles (700 km) above Earth, where two of the four crew members will participate in the first-ever space travel by private citizens. Previously, all space missions were carried out by astronauts from government space agencies.

If all goes well, the spacewalk will be just the first of several. Polaris Dawn will feature the first launch of SpaceX’s extravehicular activity (EVA) space suit. And since the Crew Dragon capsule does not have an airlock, all four crew members will be exposed to the vacuum, which means that the success of the EVA during the space journey is not only important as a test of its performance, but for its overall survival. employees.

SpaceX unveiled the EVA suit in May after years of delays, and it’s the space company’s transition to an intravehicular mission suit. It was designed with advanced astronaut mobility in mind and includes 3D-printed helmets to reduce glare from the Sun while the wearer is outside their vehicle, as well as a state-of-the-art head-up display and camera. The suit was also designed to be fitted to different body types, allowing for mass production.

The team will also be the first to test Starlink’s laser-based communications in space. According to SpaceX, the goal is to develop a system that will be used on the Moon and Mars “and beyond.”

Among the members of the Polaris Dawn team is a sponsor of the project. Jared Isaacman works as a machine operator, but he is best known as the billionaire CEO of the payments processing company Shift4. Isaacman previously traveled to space on Inspiration4, the first human spaceflight. Along with other Polaris Dawn crew members, he has spent the past two years training for the job. Alongside Polaris Dawn, Isaacson is paying SpaceX an undisclosed sum for two more Polaris missions, the latter of which is hoped to be the first crewed mission on SpaceX’s Starship reusable transport system. No launch dates have been announced for the tracking devices.