On Sunday morning, at 3:36 a.m. ET, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule successfully splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida’s Dry Tortugas islands. This marks the end of the Polaris Dawn mission, a groundbreaking expedition featuring the world’s first all-civilian spacewalk.
SpaceX Mission Details
The Polaris Dawn mission, which lasted five days, saw four private citizens return to Earth in the Crew Dragon capsule. The crew consisted of billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. The mission concluded with a smooth splashdown, as recovery vessels approached the capsule floating in the early morning sea.
Milestones Achieved
- First All-Civilian Spacewalk: The Polaris Dawn mission achieved a significant milestone by conducting the first spacewalk by private citizens. On Thursday, Isaacman and Gillis ventured outside the capsule for around 10 minutes, performing mobility tests in their newly designed spacesuits. This spacewalk was particularly challenging because the Dragon capsule lacks a pressurized airlock, necessitating the use of spacesuits for the entire crew and depressurization of the capsule to vacuum conditions.
- Record Altitude: The mission included a record-setting flight to an altitude of 870 miles above Earth’s surface, the highest humans have traveled since the Apollo moon missions in 1972. The capsule’s journey took it through part of the Van Allen radiation belts, allowing scientists to study the effects of space radiation on both the crew and the spacecraft.
The findings from the Polaris Dawn mission are expected to contribute valuable data for future space exploration. Studying the effects of space radiation on human bodies and spacecraft is crucial for planning long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars. The mission was designed to test new technologies and procedures, which will be instrumental in the Polaris program’s subsequent flights.
Polaris Program and Future Plans
The Polaris Dawn flight is part of the Polaris program, funded by Isaacman, who is also the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments. This mission is the first of three planned spaceflights under the program. While the specifics of the program’s cost and future mission timelines remain undisclosed, the Polaris Dawn mission serves as a precursor for future long-duration space missions.