SpaceX today, September 10, at 12:23 Moscow time launched from the launch pad of the Space Center. Kennedy on a Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft on the Polaris Dawn private space mission. As part of this flight, it is planned to ascend to an unusually high orbit and launch space tourists into outer space. Shortly after launch, the first stage of the rocket landed safely on the Just Read the Instructions floating platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
Image source: x.com/SpaceX
The mission was supposed to take off at the end of August, but it had to be postponed several times, first due to technical problems, and then because of adverse weather conditions predicted when the crew returned. On board are billionaire Jared Isaacman, the mission’s funder, retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Scott Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.
The Polaris Dawn flight will last five days. During the mission, the first spacewalk in the history of commercial launches is planned – it will also be the first exit from the Dragon capsule. Two people will leave the ship when it rises into an elliptical orbit and will be at an altitude of about 700 km above the Earth. Another goal of the mission is to reach an altitude of 1400 km. The crew will also experience the capabilities of the SpaceX Extravehicular Activity suit when the ship’s hatch opens to release space tourists into outer space.