Polaris Dawn Launches On Historic Space Mission
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Polaris Dawn, the second fully private mission for SpaceX, is set to stretch the boundaries for human spaceflight, including achieving the farthest orbit around Earth and the very first civilian spacewalk.
At 5:23 a.m. EDT, on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, after two weeks of enduring delays, the crew of the Polaris Dawn mission finally blasted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Transported to orbit on board the Crew Dragon spacecraft, Resilience , is SpaceX's second all-civilian astronaut crew.
Commanding the mission is billionaire philanthropist Jared Isaacman, who previously led SpaceX's Inspiration4 mission in 2021. His crew consists of Mission Pilot Scott ⁘Kidd⁘ Poteet, a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, who oversees SpaceX's astronaut training program, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon, who manages the development of SpaceX's crew operations in addition to her duties as Mission Director and crew communicator in SpaceX mission control.
A camera on board the Falcon 9 second stage shows Crew Dragon Resilience as it hangs over the curved limb of the Earth, with a spectacular view of our planet below and the Sun shining bright in the darkness of space beyond. (SpaceX)
Now in orbit, the Polaris Dawn crew will spend the next five days in space before splashing down off the coast of Florida.
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