The private space mission Polaris Dawn, aiming to complete the first-ever civilian spacewalk, is set to launch this week. SpaceX has targeted Tuesday August 27 at 3:38AM ET for liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Polaris Dawn crew led by billionaire Jared Isaacman. The crew plans to travel as far as 870 miles from Earth, with a spacewalk at an altitude of 435 miles above Earth. The crew includes Isaacman, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, who will also serve as the medical officer during the mission expected to last about five days. During the flight, all crew members will be exposed to the vacuum of space when the hatch opens, testing SpaceX’s new Extravehicular Activity space suits. The mission will also test Starlink laser-based communications and gather data on the effects of spaceflight on human health, marking the first of three planned Polaris spaceflights.
