Polaris Dawn Mission Postponed Until Mid-2024

Illustration of the launch of the Polaris Dawn mission into orbit (photo: Twitter @PolarisProgram)

JAKARTA Polaris Dawn, a SpaceX-backed private astronaut mission, was supposed to launch in April this year. However, the space trip had to be pushed back until the middle of this year.

The Polaris program, a civil aviation initiative that deployed the Polaris Dawn mission, has yet to release its latest flight schedule for the space mission. However, Polaris Dawn will not launch before the summer.

"We are now targeting no earlier than the summer of 2024 for the launch of Polaris Dawn, the first of the three human spaceflights of the Polaris Program," the Polaris Program wrote on platform X some time ago.

SpaceX and the Polaris Program deliberately pushed back flight schedules to solve some unfinished needs. SpaceX is also still checking the systems and engines of Dragon spacecraft.

With this extra time, SpaceX wants to ensure that Dragon planes are ready to be flown. In addition, the crew also extended their training time to prepare for the mission of Polaris Dawn.

"The crew is actively training in front of the mission to prepare for the mission, from the first commercial space trip to Starlink internet testing on Dragon to prepare all science and research," explained the Polaris Program.

Polaris Dawn is the first mission driven by the Polaris Program. The mission was funded by Jared Isaacman, a billionaire who took part in a flight mission into space. The mission targets the highest Earth orbit that has never been flown.

They plan to reach an altitude of 1,400 kilometers. Later, the four crew members will spend five days in orbit working on some scientific research that could improve understanding of human health.

The four crew members for the Polaris Dawn mission are Mission Commander Jared Isaacman, Mission Pilot Scott Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Anna Menon Medical Officer. These four crews will pave the way for the second Polaris Program mission.