The launch of the Polaris Dawn mission has been postponed once again. This time, the weather was a hindrance – dangerous weather conditions are forecast for the astronauts' return to Earth. An important part of the mission is to be a commercial spacewalk, the first in history.
According to information provided by SpaceX, the Polaris Dawn mission scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday morning has been canceled due to unfavorable weather conditions – and not at the time of launch. As explained by the company, the decision to abandon Wednesday and Thursday's launch windows was made due to unfavorable weather forecasted off the coast of Florida at the time of the Crew Dragon capsule's return to Earth.
– Our teams will continue to monitor the weather for favorable conditions for launch and return – explained. It is not known when the next launch window will open.
The Polaris Dawn mission has been postponed several times. It was originally scheduled to launch on Monday, but engineers decided to delay it by a day to conduct additional tests. Another problem was noted on the night from Monday to Tuesday, when a helium leak was detected in the launch system.
The highest since 1966
The mission will involve four astronauts: billionaire entrepreneur Jared Issacman, retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet, engineer Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, a medical officer.
According to the plan, the mission will last five days. During the flight, the crew will conduct 36 experiments and scientific research. Among them, they will take pictures of the astronauts' brains using magnetic resonance imaging and attempt to take X-ray pictures without using a camera, using natural radiation streams that spread in space.
Astronauts also plan to test sending messages using laser pulses, rather than radio signals, between the Crew Dragon capsule and SpaceX's Starlink satellite constellation.
The Polaris Dawn mission is also set to set a new altitude record for a crew capsule in Earth orbit, reaching an altitude of 1,400 kilometers (870 miles). That's more than twice as high as the mission that carried the Hubble Space Telescope into Earth orbit. The highest Earth-orbiting mission to date has been conducted by astronauts NASA Richard Gordon and Charles Conrad with Gemini 11 in 1966, reaching an altitude of 1,369 km.
Private spacewalk
One of the key elements of the mission is scheduled for its third day. That’s when Jared Issacman and Sarah Gillis will perform the first commercial spacewalk in history, at an altitude of about 700 km above Earth. The event will also be a test of SpaceX’s EVA suits made of new thermally insulating materials. Astronauts will also wear 3D-printed helmets that include an additional visor, a heads-up display (HUD) and cameras that provide information on the suit’s pressure, temperature and relative humidity.
Even though in in space Only a pair of astronauts will walk, the entire crew will have to put on spacesuits. This is because the Crew Dragon capsule does not have an airlock, so its interior will be exposed to the vacuum of space. Last week, during a press conference, Isaacman announced that the entire operation would take about two hours.
Polaris Dawn is the first of three flights planned by SpaceX to test technology for human spaceflight.
Main image source: spacex/polaris dawn