How to Watch the Polaris Dawn Mission Launch September 10, 2024 (Mission Complete)
This post will be updated with current schedule dates and times as these change
Lift Off: September 10, 2024 03:38 EDT (helium leak then weather delays)
Spacewalk: September 12, 2024; 5:58 AM EDT, aprox. duration two hours
Splash Down: September 15, 2024, at 3:36 AM EDT, after 5 days in orbit.
Next week is an unusual week with two private space launches. SpaceX Polaris Dawn and Blue Origin NS-26 scheduled within days of each other. Up to date details on both missions will be available in the Upcoming Events section, but only this post will be sent by email.
Polaris Dawn is an extraordinary mission as it features the first-ever all-civilian spacewalk. What makes it even more dramatic is the newly developed SpaceX spacesuit, which the relatively inexperienced four-person crew will use, has never been used on a spacewalk before. The Crew Dragon spacecraft does not have an airlock, which means all occupants of the capsule will be exposed to the vacuum of space during the event. All of these factors heighten the unknown element of risk.
Launching from NASA’s Kenn…