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The private Polaris Dawn mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off yesterday after days of delays from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, sending astronauts to the furthest reaches they’ve traveled to since the last Apollo mission 50 years ago.
The Big Picture: Not only will the mission provide NASA and SpaceX invaluable data about the effects of space travel, it’s also the first step toward potential interplanetary travel.
Behind the Curtain: Shift4 Payments billionaire founder Jared Isaacman, retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and two SpaceX employees, engineer and astronaut trainer Sarah Gillis and mission control director Anna Menon, are now in orbit.
- They’ll be reaching a distance of 870 miles from Earth, where they’ll be able to gather data on how space radiation affects humans (there’s more radiation at higher altitudes).
- Isaacman and Gillis will conduct the first-ever commercial spacewalk (floating outside the capsule), while wearing SpaceX’s newly designed spacesuits.
- The mission will also test WiFi communication between the Falcon and Starlink’s constellation of satellites (Netflix and Orbit, anyone?).
The Future. These tests are crucial for future missions to the moon and Mars, and it’s wild the responsibility has been placed on non-governmental astronauts. But, we guess that’s what happens when space-enthusiast Isaacman has the willingness and the money to make it happen. If all goes according to plan, prepare for SpaceX to try to beat NASA to the moon.
Go Further: Elon Musk says that SpaceX plans to launch its first Mars mission in 2026. Take that with a big grain of salt, but here’s what the company is planning for its future colony.
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