The Polaris Program is a planned series of private crewed space missions organized by U.S. billionaire Jared Isaacman.
The missions will be carried out using SpaceX technology, with the rockets, crewed spacecraft and space suits all supplied by SpaceX.
There are several purposes to each of the planned missions, including furthering research on human health in spaceflight, demonstrating SpaceX technology such as Starlink laser-based communications, and raising funds for charitable causes.
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The missions will attempt to set a number of space milestones including the highest crewed Earth orbit and the first-ever commercial spacewalk. It will also debut SpaceX’s extravehicular spacesuit.
The program shares its name with Polaris, a constellation of three stars commonly known as the North Star since it appears as a single point of light to the naked eye.
Polaris Program missions
The Polaris Program will consist of three missions in total. They are as follows:
Polaris Dawn
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Polaris Dawn is the first of the planned missions under the Polaris Program. As of February 2023, the mission was estimated to take place no earlier than March 2023 after a pushback from its initial launch estimate of Q4 2022.
The mission will involve a crew of four, launching in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The crew will then spend up to five days in Earth orbit, during which time they will attempt to reach an altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) — higher than any previous SpaceX Dragon mission. The Polaris Program website also states that the mission will aim “to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown,” though it is likely that this means the highest crewed Earth orbit ever flown, which would be higher than the 853 mile (1,373 kilometer) crewed altitude record set by the Gemini 11 mission. Space.com has reached out to a Polaris Program representative for clarification. The Polaris Dawn crew will also attempt the first ever commercial spacewalk using spacesuits designed by SpaceX. According to the mission website, this will help SpaceX develop and scale the suit for future uses.
The mission will also involve 38 research experiments that will help…
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