SpaceX Successfully Launches Polaris Dawn Civilian Crew in Early Morning

On September 9, SpaceX successfully launched the Polaris Dawn mission early Tuesday morning, sending four civilians into space on a journey that will mark the farthest humans have traveled beyond Earth in over half a century.

The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 5:24 a.m. EDT from Florida’s Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The launch had initially been scheduled for 3:38 a.m. but was delayed due to adverse weather conditions.

Approximately ten minutes after liftoff, the booster successfully landed on the drone ship named “A Shortfall of Gravitas,” despite the National Hurricane Center monitoring two tropical disturbances in the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX confirmed that by 5:38 a.m., the crew was experiencing weightlessness as they began their journey.

A live webcast documented the entire launch process, while a dedicated site allows people to track the crew throughout their expedition.

Prior to this successful launch, three previous dates for the Polaris Dawn mission had been scrapped due to unfavorable weather conditions either at the launch site or the booster landing area.

Additionally, the Federal Aviation Administration had briefly grounded Falcon 9 following an incident involving an uncrewed landing on a barge in the Atlantic.

This five-day mission is poised to make history with the first-ever commercial spacewalk taking place while the crew navigates deeper into space than any human since the Apollo missions concluded in 1972.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule is set to reach an altitude of 870 miles above Earth, charting a course that will take the crew through the hazardous inner segments of the planet’s Van Allen radiation belts.

Billionaire philanthropist Jared Isaacman is commanding the mission, marking his second spaceflight. He will be joined by pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet, along with SpaceX team members Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.

Under the ownership of fellow billionaire Elon Musk, SpaceX has revealed that the all-civilian crew is also expected to conduct 36 research studies and experiments on behalf of 31 partner organizations. These efforts aim to enhance human health both on Earth and during extended space missions.