Next Spaceflight

Status

Polaris Dawn

Launch Time
NET July, 2023

First mission of the Polaris Program. Highest Earth orbit achieved by a crewed spacecraft since Gemini 11 in 1966. First EVA by a private astronaut. Crew Dragon Resilience has been modified extensively for these purposes.

Rocket

Falcon 9 Block 5
SpaceX
Status: Active
Price: $67.0 million
Liftoff Thrust: 7,607 kN
Payload to LEO: 22,800 kg
Payload to GTO: 8,300 kg
Stages: 2
Strap-ons: 0
Rocket Height: 70.0 m
Fairing Diameter: 5.2 m
Fairing Height: 13.0 m

Vehicles

Unknown Vehicle

Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship

C207 (Resilience)

Shannon or Megan

Mission Details

Polaris Dawn

Polaris Dawn is a crew mission aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon Spacecraft. The Polaris Dawn crew (Commander Jared Isaacman, Pilot Scott Poteet, and Mission Specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon) will spend up to five days in orbit, flying higher than any Dragon mission to date and will attempt to reach the highest Earth orbit flown since the Apollo program. The Polaris Dawn crew will support scientific research designed to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflight, be the first to test Starlink laser-based communications in space, and will attempt the first spacewalk from a Dragon Spacecraft.

Payloads: 1
Low Earth Orbit

Location

LC-39A, Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA