Private Astronaut Mission with First Crew Dragon Spacewalk Faces Delay to Mid-2024
In a recent announcement, the Polaris Program, a series of private astronaut missions led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, revealed that its highly anticipated Polaris Dawn mission has been delayed once again. Originally scheduled for April, the mission is now set to take place no earlier than the summer of this year. The decision to postpone the mission was made in order to ensure the completion of mission goals and prioritize the safety of the crew and spacecraft.
One of the key objectives of the Polaris Dawn mission is to conduct the first-ever spacewalk from a Crew Dragon spacecraft. However, this ambitious feat requires significant development and modifications. Firstly, an extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit needs to be designed and built to enable astronauts to venture outside the spacecraft. Additionally, modifications must be made to the Crew Dragon itself, as it currently lacks an airlock. This means that the cabin needs to be depressurized before the spacewalk and then repressurized afterward.
Jared Isaacman acknowledged the challenges faced during the development process, stating, “Very solid @PolarisProgram training week. In addition to the sims, we spent a lot of time pressurized in the EVA suits working contingencies. Lots to get done, but it feels like momentum is building.” The complexity of creating a functional and mobile EVA suit has proven to be more difficult than initially anticipated.
Industry sources suggest that SpaceX, the company responsible for the Crew Dragon spacecraft, underestimated the amount of work required to convert the existing pressure suit worn by astronauts inside the spacecraft into a fully functional EVA suit. When the Polaris Dawn mission was first announced two years ago, SpaceX and the Polaris Program projected a launch date as early as the fourth quarter of 2022.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, addressed the challenges faced in spacesuit development during a presentation to company employees. He emphasized the need to redesign the suit to allow for greater mobility, stating, “We’ve got to redesign the suit so that you actually move around in it. It’s quite hard to still be mobile in an inflated suit.” Musk also highlighted the importance of developing a high-mobility spacesuit that is cost-effective and comfortable, as it will be crucial for future missions.
Despite the delays and difficulties, the Polaris Dawn mission holds great significance for SpaceX. It will serve as a crucial test for the company’s new spacesuit design, which is intended for use in future missions. Musk expressed his excitement about this milestone, stating, “Having a high-mobility spacesuit that isn’t crazy expensive, ideally, and that you can walk around in comfortably is a great deal. It’s actually an important thing that needs to be developed and ultimately made in large numbers.”
While images of the new spacesuits have not been released by either SpaceX or the Polaris Program, Jared Isaacman described them as “heavier and bulkier” compared to the current Dragon pressure suits. All four members of the crew will don these suits, even those who remain inside the Dragon spacecraft. The new suits will replace the pressure suits worn during launch and reentry.
In addition to the historic spacewalk, the Polaris Dawn mission will also focus on testing intersatellite communications using optical links between the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Starlink satellites. This cutting-edge technology has the potential to revolutionize communication systems in space. Furthermore, the mission will conduct health research, including studies on the radiation environment at altitudes as high as 1,400 kilometers. This will be the highest altitude reached by a crewed mission since the Apollo 17 mission to the moon in 1972.
The Polaris Dawn mission represents a significant step forward in private space exploration. Despite the delays, the development of a functional EVA suit and the testing of innovative technologies will pave the way for future missions and advancements in space travel. As we eagerly await the launch of this groundbreaking mission, we can anticipate witnessing history in the making as private astronauts embark on an extraordinary journey beyond Earth’s atmosphere.