SpaceX is set to make history next week with the first-ever private spacewalk as part of the Polaris Dawn mission. The mission will test groundbreaking equipment, including slim spacesuits and a cabin with no airlock, in what is considered one of the riskiest missions for Elon Musk’s space company.
The crew, consisting of a billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military fighter pilot, and two SpaceX employees, will launch aboard a modified Crew Dragon craft before embarking on a 20-minute spacewalk 434 miles into space. This mission will push the boundaries of space exploration, as until now, spacewalks have only been attempted by government astronauts on the International Space Station.
The Polaris Dawn mission will swing in an oval-shaped orbit, passing as close to Earth as 118 miles and as far as 870 miles, marking the farthest humans have ventured since the Apollo moon program in 1972. The crew will wear SpaceX’s new slimline spacesuits and use a modified Crew Dragon vehicle that can open its hatch door in the vacuum of space, eliminating the need for an airlock.
The mission, funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman, will provide valuable insights into how astronauts might fare on the moon’s surface or in deep space. While astronaut safety on NASA missions is rigorously overseen, there are no such U.S. standards for private missions like Polaris.
SpaceX officials and the Polaris crew have planned for various contingency scenarios, but the mission is not without risks. Retired NASA astronaut Garrett Reisman believes the crew is prepared for any unexpected mishaps, but acknowledges that there is little room for error in this groundbreaking mission.
The Polaris Dawn mission represents a significant step forward in private space exploration, with the potential to advance technologies that could be used on future missions to the moon and Mars. SpaceX’s bold endeavor is sure to capture the attention of space enthusiasts and industry experts alike as they push the boundaries of what is possible in space exploration.
