A significant advancement in private space exploration is about to commence this week with the SpaceX mission that will feature the inaugural commercial spacewalk. Known as Polaris Dawn, the mission intends to take a team of four to an altitude of approximately 870 miles, marking the highest orbit since the Apollo moon landings.

Polaris Dawn is the initial flight in a series of three human space missions planned under the Polaris Program, which will incorporate a variety of experiments designed to assess human preparedness for long-term space travel, including ventures to Mars. Jared Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur and the CEO of Shift4, is leading and funding the mission. In 2021, Isaacman captained Inspiration4, marking the first privately funded mission to orbit Earth.

Joining Isaacman are mission pilot Scott Poteet, a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel who was also part of Inspiration4, alongside SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, who will act as mission specialists.

How high will Crew Dragon orbit?

Upon launch and separation from the Falcon 9 rocket, the Crew Dragon will ascend to an orbital height of 870 miles, over three times the altitude of the International Space Station. This places the crew in the inner areas of the Van Allen radiation belt, an area filled with trapped charged particles located within Earth’s magnetosphere.

Ten hours later, the Crew Dragon will lower its altitude to 435 miles, where it will stay for the remainder of the mission. At this point, the crew will depressurize the capsule, conduct the spacewalk, and perform 38 research experiments focused on enhancing human health in space.

Polaris Dawn will set a precedent as the first civilian spacewalk. Up until now, all spacewalks have been undertaken by astronauts from government organizations, including those from the U.S., the former Soviet Union, Russia, the European Space Agency, Canada, and China. Since 2000, over 270 spacewalks have taken place outside the space station.

When will the spacewalk take place?

The launch is set for 3:38 a.m. EDT on Tuesday from SpaceX’s launchpad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a backup launch possibility on Wednesday. The planned spacewalk and its livestream will happen on Day 3 of the mission, which is Thursday.

The Crew Dragon is expected to return on Day 6 of the mission, which falls on Sunday. The spacecraft will splash down at one of seven designated sites off the coast of Florida.

Contributors: Eric Lagatta, YSL News; Reuters

SOURCES SpaceX; Reuters; Space.com