Polaris Dawn: the first spacewalk by commercial astronauts will be historic, but the mission carries risks

30.08.2024 - 09:42 / theunconventionalgardener.com / guest

Header image: A suited astronaut uses a touch panel in the Dragon capsule. Image credit: SpaceX

Simonetta Di Pippo, Bocconi University

The Polaris Dawn mission has been attracting lots of attention because it will feature the first ever spacewalk by commercial space travellers. There are many reasons why this is a landmark mission. But, with its ambition comes a degree of risk.

The mission is backed by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX and there are no professional astronauts among the crew. Flying aboard the mission is a businessman, a fighter pilot and two SpaceX employees. The mission represents an emerging parallel track in orbital spaceflight which is privately funded compared to the upcoming government-backed US Artemis missions to return humans to the Moon.

The four crew members of Polaris Dawn are currently scheduled to launch in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, August 28. During the five day mission, they will travel further from Earth than any humans have been since the Apollo missions, heading up to 1,400 km in altitude.

In addition to the spacewalk, the crew will travel through portions of the Van Allen radiation belts – zones of energetic charged particles around Earth. This will allow them to carry out tests aimed at understanding the effects of space radiation on human health.

Other experiments include one related to how the eyes and vision system respond in microgravity. The crew will also test a laser-based communication system in space. This will provide data for future space communications systems that could be used on missions to the Moon and Mars.

The spacecraft’s commander is Jared Isaacman, an American businessman who is flying on a commercial SpaceX mission for the