A crew of four private astronauts is preparing for SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission, aiming to conduct the first-ever private spacewalk.
The team includes billionaire Jared Isaacman, pilot Scott Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. They will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule.
Originally scheduled for last month, the mission was delayed due to a helium leak and a booster recovery failure. The launch is now set for early Tuesday, though weather conditions provide only a 40% chance of success.
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The mission will orbit Earth at distances ranging from 190 km to 1,400 km. On the third day, Isaacman and Gillis will perform a 20-minute spacewalk at 700 km altitude, while Poteet and Menon remain in the cabin.
Polaris Dawn will also conduct scientific experiments on cosmic radiation’s effects on the human body. This is the first of Isaacman’s privately funded Polaris missions, with plans for future Crew Dragon and SpaceX Starship flights.