SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has successfully concluded, marking a historic milestone in commercial space travel.
The crew, led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, returned safely to Earth after a groundbreaking five-day journey that included the first-ever commercial spacewalk.
The Crew Dragon capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida’s Dry Tortugas at 03:37 ET (07:37 GMT) on Sunday, September 15, 2024, in a live-streamed event celebrated by SpaceX and NASA.
The Polaris Dawn mission achieved several significant milestones:
- First Commercial Spacewalk: Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis conducted a spacewalk, making them the first non-professional astronauts to perform such an activity.
- This spacewalk required the crew to depressurize the capsule, as it lacked an airlock, exposing them to the vacuum of space for about 20 minutes.
- Record Altitude: The mission reached a peak altitude of 1,400 kilometers (approximately 870 miles), surpassing the previous record set by NASA’s Gemini 11 mission in 1966.
- Humans achieved this altitude, highest since the Apollo program ended in 1972.
- Scientific Experiments: During their time in orbit, the crew conducted nearly 40 scientific experiments.
- The Polaris Dawn mission conducted studies on microgravity’s impact on human health and tested Starlink laser communications between Dragon and Starlink satellites.
- Cultural Outreach: Gillis, a trained violinist, performed “Rey’s Theme” from Star Wars: The Force Awakens during the mission, streaming her performance back to Earth via Starlink.
- This initiative was part of a fundraising effort for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, showcasing the potential for in-space connectivity.
The return journey involved a critical de-orbit burn maneuver, allowing the capsule to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.
The Crew Dragon experienced extreme temperatures of up to 1,900°C (3,500°F) during re-entry, but the spacecraft’s heat shield protected the crew.
After deploying parachutes to slow its descent, the capsule floated on the ocean’s surface until recovery teams retrieved it.
Future of the Polaris Program
The Polaris Dawn mission is the first of three planned missions under the Polaris Program, a collaboration between Isaacman and SpaceX.
The success of this mission not only sets the stage for future endeavors, but also includes the anticipated first crewed flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, which is currently in development.