SpaceX launches Polaris Dawn: world's first commercial spacewalk

[New Sancai Compilation and First Release] "Polaris Dawn", which aims to conduct the first private spacewalk in history, boarded a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at 5:23 a.m. Eastern Time on September 10. Launched from the historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Launch Site 39A also hosted most of NASA's Apollo moon landing missions, which was the last manned mission of the Polaris Dawn astronauts.

The rocket roared from the launch pad, its nine Merlin engines casting a dazzling light on the calm water surrounding the Kennedy Space Center. The light of the flames reflected from the low morning clouds and spread for miles around the space center. A dark yellow hue rises into the sky.

The launch was originally scheduled for August 26, but SpaceX abandoned attempts to conduct more preflight inspections. The next day's attempt was canceled after the mission team discovered a helium leak in equipment supporting Falcon 9.

Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur who commands and funds Polaris Dawn, told SpaceX Mission Control shortly after the spacecraft entered orbit: "Without the support of all 14,000 of you, nothing else would be possible." People cheering us on, we wouldn't be on this journey." "We're grateful. We get to work now."

The capsule reached its highest point in orbit at about 1,400 kilometers - the highest altitude reached by humans since the last Apollo mission in 1972.

Isaacman has been to space once before. He also funded and directed SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission in September 2021, which raised $250 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Isaacman hopes the mission will build on that momentum.

Joining him aboard Polaris Dawn were two of the first SpaceX employees to reach orbit: mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, and a retired U.S. Air Force pilot who served as mission pilot Lt. Col. Scott "Kidd" Poteet. The quartet will spend the next five days in space completing dozens of experiments in the novel space environment the mission is exploring.

A day after Polaris Dawn entered space, Polaris Dawn astronauts will perform the most critical part of the mission: the first commercial spacewalk in history.

Extravehicular activities (EVA) will take place on the third day of the mission. The main goal of the operation is to test SpaceX's new EVA spacesuit, which is visually similar to the company's familiar black and white Intravehicular Activity (IVA) spacesuit, which is worn only inside the spacecraft.

The spacecraft has no airlock, so during EVA the entire interior of the capsule will be exposed to the vacuum of space. As a result, all four Polaris Dawn astronauts will wear protective suits during the spacewalk, but only Isaacman and Gillis will venture outside the spacecraft.

The two will take turns exiting the Crew Dragon spacecraft to test the functionality and maneuverability of their spacesuits. In total, the Polaris Dawn EVA will last approximately two hours from the time the spacecraft begins to depressurize to when the hatch is closed and the cabin is repressurized.

Astronauts will prepare for the historic spacewalk through a two-day "pre-breathing" activity, inhaling a special gas mixture to remove nitrogen from the blood, thereby reducing the risk of "decompression sickness," or decompression sickness.

Day four of the mission included a Starlink demonstration; Polaris Dawn crew revealed an exciting surprise message they plan to beam to Earth via SpaceX's giant constellation of internet satellites.

Polaris Dawn's fifth day will be spent preparing for the return trip, assuming all other mission objectives have been achieved by this time. (During the mission, the crew will also conduct approximately 40 scientific experiments.)

The Polaris Dawn spacecraft is expected to splash down six days after liftoff, performing a final series of deorbit burns on its way back to land. If all goes according to plan, the Polaris Dawn crew will parachute into the ocean at one of several potential landing zones off the coast of Florida, where a recovery vessel will retrieve the spacecraft and crew.

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)