Polaris Dawn will test communications through the Starlink constellation to evaluate whether Starlink can take over communications traditionally handled by ground stations or NASA’s TDRS network.
At approximately 700 km altitude, the Polaris Dawn crew will attempt the first-ever commercial extravehicular activity (EVA) using SpaceX-designed EVA spacesuits upgraded from the current intravehicular (IVA) suit.
SpaceX plans to launch NASA’s Crew-9 mission to the ISS as soon as August, the Ax-4 private astronaut mission to the ISS in the fall, and the Polaris Dawn mission as soon as the summer.
SpaceX scheduled Polaris Dawn to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket from LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida at 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 UTC) on 2024-09-01.
Polaris Dawn launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, 2024-09-10 at 5:23 a.m. ET.
The first stage booster previously launched Crew-8, Polaris Dawn, CRS-31, Astranis: From One to Many, IM-2, Commercial GTO-1, and eight Starlink missions.
The first stage booster previously launched Crew-8, Polaris Dawn, CRS-31, Astranis: From One to Many, IM-2, Commercial GTO-1, and nine Starlink missions.