SpaceX launches Polaris Dawn, taking astronauts to heights not seen in decades

SpaceX officially launched the Polaris Dawn mission, which lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center early on Tuesday morning.

The mission is one of the most groundbreaking in recent memory as it will not conduct the first-ever private spacewalk but it will also take astronauts further away from Earth than any spacecraft since the Apollo moon launches in the 1960s and 1970s.

The launch was originally slated for late August, but due to several delays related to unfavorable weather conditions, SpaceX was forced to wait until September.

It was seen from various parts of the United States. In fact, my Dad saw it on his way to work this morning in Baltimore:

My Dad caught @SpaceX Polaris Dawn this morning on his way to work! pic.twitter.com/X6lbMy1JjK

— Joey Klender (@KlenderJoey) September 10, 2024

The mission lifted off at 5:24 a.m. from pad 39A at Kennedy Space Station:

Falcon 9 launches @PolarisProgram‘s Polaris Dawn, Dragon’s 14th human spaceflight mission pic.twitter.com/DCd0s0Tl8P

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 10, 2024

It will make its way 870 miles above Earth, which, for perspective’s sake, is more than three times the distance the International Space Station (ISS) sits. The group will test new spacesuits and other technologies that will eventually be utilized when space travel begins to Mars.

It will also give valuable information related to the Van Allen radiation belt and how space radiation can impact the human body. Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis will be performing the spacewalks.

Earlier this week, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said he planned to launch unmanned flights to Mars in 2026, with the first manned missions coming two years later:

The first Starships to Mars will launch in 2 years when the next Earth-Mars transfer window opens. These will be uncrewed to test the reliability of landing intact on Mars. If those landings go well, then the first crewed flights to Mars will be in 4 years.”

Photos from today’s launch of the Polaris Dawn mission from pad 39A in Florida pic.twitter.com/SUqSW8CSpj

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 10, 2024

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