Blitz Bureau
FLORIDA: SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has made history by flying farther from Earth than any crewed spacecraft since the Apollo programme over 50 years ago. The four-person crew, led by billionaire Jared Issacman, reached an altitude of 1,400 kilometres (870 miles) above the planet’s surface on their first day in orbit.
The mission launched successfully from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:53 pm IST on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. After reaching low Earth orbit, the crew began preparations for their planned spacewalk later in the mission, including a twoday pre-breathe protocol to reduce the risk of decompression sickness.
During its first orbit, the Crew Dragon spacecraft reached an apogee of approximately 1,216 kilometres, already setting a record for the highest Dragon mission to date.
The crew then settled in for their first sleep period in space, during which the spacecraft performed its first apogee-raising burn to reach the target altitude of 1,400 kilometres.
This record-breaking altitude surpasses the previous Earth-orbiting human spaceflight record of 1,373 km set by the Gemini 11 mission in 1966. Only the Apollo missions that travelled to the Moon have gone farther.
The Polaris Dawn mission aims to conduct the first-ever commercial spacewalk, test new SpaceX-designed spacesuits, and perform various scientific experiments. The crew includes Isaacman, pilot Scott Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.
As the mission continues, the crew and mission control will closely monitor the spacecraft’s systems, particularly during passes through the South Atlantic Anomaly, a region of increased radiation exposure. The historic spacewalk is scheduled for Thursday, September 12, on the third day of the five-day mission.
The mission has been delayed since August, first over a helium leak and then weather played spoilsport.
