Polaris Dawn sets records for private space flight

Polaris Dawn mission takes off from Cape Canaveral, Florida

Polaris Dawn launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral early Tuesday for a five-day mission

(Image credit: Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images)

published 11 September 2024

What happened

Polaris Dawn, the private space flight funded by tech billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX, launched from Florida's Cape Canaveral early Tuesday for a five-day mission scheduled to include the first-ever private spacewalk. The Crew Dragon capsule and its four passengers reached their peak altitude of 870 miles last night, traveling farther from Earth than any humans except NASA's 24 moon-traveling Apollo astronauts.

The four crew members — Isaacman, pilot Scott Poteet and SpaceX senior engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon — beat the previous record for top altitude in an orbiting crewed spacecraft, 853 miles, set by NASA's Gemini 11 mission in 1966. Gillis and Menon also became the first women to travel so far from Earth. But this high flight was "more than a stunt to make it into the record books," Space.com said. Traveling through the Van Allen belt of charged particles will allow the crew to "collect more data about how the space environment affects spacecraft systems and the human body."

The spacewalk, planned for Thursday, will be the "mission's most daring moment," The New York Times said. The entire capsule will be depressurized so Isaacman and Gillis can exit into space, testing new spacesuits. They will "always have a hand or foot touching the capsule or attached support structure," The Associated Press said, and there will be "no dangling" at the end of their tethers and "no jetpack showboating." The mission is the first of three Isaacman has purchased from SpaceX for an undisclosed amount, likely "hundreds of millions of dollars," Reuters said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.