SpaceX on Saturday unveiled its first-generation extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit, which will be donned by astronauts aboard the Polaris Dawn mission, scheduled for no earlier than this summer. Polaris Dawn—a five-day, four-person orbital mission to research human health both in space and on Earth—is the first of three potential human spaceflights under the Polaris Program.

SpaceX and entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who founded the program in February 2022, held a discussion accompanying the announcement on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, which SpaceX CEO Elon Musk acquired in October..

While the mission has no firm launch date, SpaceX on Saturday confirmed that Polaris Dawn would be the next crewed mission the company will fly.

What Is Polaris?

The Polaris Program is the brainchild of Isaacman, the billionaire CEO of integrated payments provider Shift4 who is also a pilot and astronaut, with more than 7,000 flight hours and multiple experimental and ex-military aircraft ratings. Isaacman in 2012 founded Draken International, a private air force that trains pilots for the U.S. Armed Forces.

Isaacman purchased flights from SpaceX in February 2022 to launch the program and is funding Polaris Dawn himself.

Named after the constellation of three stars more commonly known as the North Star, or Polaris, the program comprises three potential missions, one for each star. The effort aims to rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities with an eye toward future missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond. Simultaneously, it will raise funds and advance research into issues facing humanity on Earth, such as cancer.

Polaris Dawn, the first of the three missions, was announced in 2022 and expected to fly later that year. It has since been delayed multiple times, most recently from February to mid-2024, due in part to SpaceX’s development of the specially designed EVA spacesuits.

Polaris Dawn and a second mission without a timeline, simply called Mission II, will be flown using SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule. Both vehicles are already in use by NASA and a handful of commercial customers, such as Axiom Space.

Falcon 9, a reusable two-stage rocket, is the world’s first orbital class reusable rocket and has been lauded for driving down launch costs in flying 330 times. Crew Dragon, which is capable of carrying up to seven passengers, in 2020 restored NASA’s ability to ferry astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS) with the first Commercial Crew rotation mission. It has flown a total of 46 missions, visiting the ISS on 42.

Polaris is expected to culminate in a third mission comprising the first crewed flight of SpaceX’s Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. Like Falcon 9, the spacecraft is designed to be fully reusable and has so far attempted three orbital test flights, each more successful than the last.

Isaacman has been outspoken about Polaris’ aim to make human spaceflight accessible to all. The new SpaceX suits, for example, are designed to fit a range of body types and accommodate all spacewalkers.

At the same time, the billionaire aviator is focused on solving problems on Earth. Since its founding, Polaris has worked closely with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and helped fund research into childhood cancer.

Civilians in Space

Polaris Dawn is notable for its four-person crew, which includes the first SpaceX employees expected to actually reach space.

Mission specialist Sarah Gillis oversees the company’s astronaut training program, while mission specialist and medical officer Anna Menon manages crew operations. Gillis, trained to be a classical violinist, joined SpaceX in 2015, while Menon is a seven-year NASA veteran. But both have been part of past Crew Dragon flights. Menon in particular was influential in developing Dragon’s crew and emergency response capabilities.

Joining the SpaceX employees will be pilot Scott Poteet, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel with more than 3,200 flying hours in the F-16, A-4, T-38, T-37, T-3, and Alpha Jet.

Isaacman himself will serve as Polaris Dawn mission commander, a role he also filled for  SpaceX’s 2021 Inspiration4 mission: the first all-civilian mission to space. Poteet, who previously served in roles at Isaacson’s companies Shift4 and Draken, was mission director for that flight, which raised $250 million for St. Jude.

To prepare for Polaris Dawn, crewmembers lived inside the decompression chamber at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for two days, summited the 16,800-foot peak of Illinizas Norte volcano in Ecuador, and experienced 9 Gs of force while training on three different kinds of fighter jets.

The mission will launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The crew will spend up to five days in orbit, performing about 40 experiments and testing of hardware and software. Like Inspiration4, it is a charitable effort, with the goal of raising additional funds for St. Jude.

“Fifty or 100 years from now, people are going to be jumping in their rockets, and you’re going to have families bouncing around on the moon with their kids at a lunar base,” said Isaacman in an article on the St. Jude website. “If we can accomplish all of that, we sure as heck better tackle childhood cancer along the way.”

Polaris Dawn aims to fly higher than any SpaceX Dragon mission to date, a height that hasn’t been reached since the end of the Apollo program half a century ago.

The crew will also attempt to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown. Isaacman during the discussion on X said the mission will target an apogee of 1,400 kilometers, or about 870 miles, more than double the orbital height reached by Apollo 17. That orbit would place the crew just inside the Van Allen radiation belt, where it hopes to research effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health.

“The benefit of being at this high altitude is that we can better understand the impacts of that environment…on both the human body…as well as on the spacecraft,” said Menon during the discussion on X.

Suit Up

The Dragon capsule will complete seven elliptical orbits until reaching its apogee before descending to a circular orbit at about 700 kilometers (435 miles). At that altitude, crewmembers will attempt the first commercial spacewalk. It would also be the first time four astronauts have been exposed to the vacuum of space at the same time, according to SpaceX.

The spacewalk will mark the first use of SpaceX’s EVA spacesuit in low-Earth orbit, a key milestone that is expected to inform future iterations of the design for long-duration missions.

It’s an evolution of SpaceX’s Intravehicular Activity (IVA) suit that has been modified to enable both intra and extravehicular use. In other words, personnel won’t need to change clothes when moving from the confines of the spacecraft to the harsh environment of space.

The EVA suit adds greater mobility, seals and pressure valves, a helmet camera, and textile-based thermal material, which regulates suit temperature and can be controlled using a dial. Boots were constructed from the same thermal material used to shield Falcon and Dragon from exposure.

“There was a lot of work on both the materials of the suit, developing a whole new layer that we needed to add for thermal management as well as looking at the thermal condition for the crewmembers themselves, and making sure that they were at a comfortable temperature inside the suit,” said Chris Drake, manager of SpaceX’s spacesuit team, on Saturday.

The 3D-printed helmet incorporates a new visor designed to reduce glare as well as a state-of-the-art, heads-up display (HUD). The HUD is active only during spacewalks and displays spacesuit pressure, temperature, and humidity, as well as a mission clock to track how long the astronauts are exposed to the vacuum of space.

Already, SpaceX is developing a second-generation EVA suit for missions to the moon and Mars. It estimates that millions of suits will be required to one day build a lunar base or Martian city.

“This is important because we are going to get to the moon and Mars one day, and we’re going to have to get out of our vehicles and out of the safety of the habitat to explore and build and repair things,” Isaacman said during the discussion on X.

The Dragon capsule has also required modifications to prepare for the landmark spacewalk. SpaceX on Saturday said a structure called “Skywalker” has been attached near the capsule’s hatch to act as a mobility aid. Handrails and foot rails have been installed inside the spacecraft, with a ladder interface added to the hatch opening.

SpaceX also installed a cabin pressurization system that allows the interior of the capsule to withstand the vacuum of space as air is sucked out during the spacewalk. A repressurization system will stabilize it once the astronauts return.

Why It Matters

In addition to achieving the first commercial spacewalk and the highest orbital altitude ever recorded, Polaris Dawn hopes to test Starlink laser-based communications in space for the first time. Data from the test could help develop space communications for future missions.

In addition, Polaris and SpaceX selected 38 scientific experiments from 23 partner institutions—including NASA, the U.S. Air Force Academy, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University—intended to advance the understanding of human health in space and on Earth.

The crew will use ultrasound to study decompression sickness, for example, and will research spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome: a disease unique to humans who fly in space that can have severe debilitating effects. Upon landing, astronauts will undergo tests to study anemia—an unavoidable effect of traveling to space—and other conditions that might impact humans on Earth.

The scientific aims of the Polaris Program differ from the commercial spaceflight ventures offered by companies such as Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, which could be classified more aptly as space tourism operations.

Tickets for those companies’ orbital and suborbital offerings, some of which involve research, can range from the hundreds of thousands of dollars to the millions. Isaacman and SpaceX’s Inspiration4, meanwhile, raised a quarter of a billion dollars for cancer research.

Isaacman has been particularly outspoken when it comes to accessibility in spaceflight. And by taking on much of the risk himself, the billionaire businessman has lessened the pressure on SpaceX. Isaacman’s funding of Polaris Dawn has allowed the company to focus on developing the spacesuits and other technology necessary to ensure the mission runs smoothly.

Polaris Dawn also represents a critical juncture for SpaceX’s Starship, the lynchpin of the company’s planned human spaceflight offerings. The largest rocket ever built is not quite ready to fly humans. But when it is, the third Polaris mission is expected to be its maiden voyage.

Like this story? We think you’ll also like the Future of FLYING newsletter sent every Thursday afternoon. Sign up now.

The post What Is Polaris Dawn? Breaking Down the Upcoming SpaceX Mission appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The leak was reported by Roscosmos flight controllers. Evidence of residual coolant droplets was also seen in video from NASA’s external station cameras.

• READ MORE: NASA Crew-7 Astronauts Arrive at International Space Station

The seepage has stopped and teams on the ground continue to investigate its cause, NASA said.

Astronauts Loral O’Hara (NASA) and Andreas Mogensen (European Space Agency) had been scheduled to conduct a six-hour spacewalk Thursday to collect microorganism samples from the exterior of the ISS orbital complex. They were also scheduled to replace a high-definition camera on the port truss of the ISS. 

• READ MORE: Artemis III Astronauts Set To Moonwalk Wearing Prada

“NASA engineering and flight control teams are continuing to review data and video associated with a coolant leak from a backup radiator on the station’s Nauka multipurpose laboratory module (MLM),” NASA said in a statement. “Two United States segment spacewalks originally scheduled for Thursday, October 12, and Friday, October 20, have been postponed until the review is complete. New dates will be announced later.”

The post NASA: ISS Spacewalk Postponed After Leak Discovery appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

On October 12, astronauts Loral O’Hara (NASA) and Andreas Mogensen (ESA) will spacewalk  to collect microorganism samples from the exterior of the ISS orbital complex. The pair are also scheduled to replace an HD camera on the port truss of the ISS, NASA said. 

In order to maintain breathable air for astronauts inside the space station, its life support system vents carbon dioxide into space,  bacterial residue possible near the vents, ESA said.

“Understanding if bacteria can survive on surfaces in outer space will help reduce human contamination on future missions to the moon and Mars,” ESA said.

• READ MORE: NASA Crew-7 Astronauts Arrive at International Space Station

The six-hour spacewalk will begin at 10 a.m. EDT and may be watched on NASA TV or the NASA app.

“O’Hara will serve as extravehicular activity (EVA) crew member [one] and will wear a suit with red stripes,” NASA said. “Mogensen will serve as extravehicular crew member [two] and will wear an unmarked suit. U.S. spacewalk 89 will be the first spacewalk for both crewmembers.”

Preparation

Mogensen, who is commander of the space station, and O’Hara will prepare by breathing pure oxygen and doing some light exercises, according to ESA. The agency said the exercises will help rid nitrogen from their blood, since too much of the element can create a serious health issue when transitioning from a high-pressure environment to a low one.

“Outside the space station, Andreas will install a new high-definition camera while strapped to the station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2,” ESA said. “For the first time the robotic arm will be operated from ground control instead of by an astronaut on the space station. NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli will be inside the International Space Station monitoring operations and ready to take over if needed.”

On October 20, O’Hara will again spacewalk, joined by Moghbeli. The two will remove a faulty Radio Frequency Group electronics box from a communications antenna on the starboard truss of the station. They are also set to replace one of 12 trundle bearing assemblies on the port truss solar alpha rotary joint.

“The bearings enable the station’s solar arrays to rotate properly to track the sun as the station orbits the Earth,” NASA said.

That spacewalk will begin at 7:30 a.m. EDT and is expected to last nearly seven hours, according to NASA.

The post NASA Unveils Upcoming ISS Spacewalk Itinerary appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“With these awards, NASA and our partners will develop advanced, reliable spacesuits that allow humans to explore the cosmos unlike ever before,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston in a statement. “By partnering with industry, we are efficiently advancing the necessary technology to keep Americans on a path of successful discovery on the International Space Station and as we set our sights on exploring the lunar surface.”

The selection was made as part of NASA’s Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) contract solicitation. The contract, which includes indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity, has an estimated combined value of $3.5 billion for all task order awards.

• READ MORE: NASA Inspector General: Artemis Moon Landing Will Be Delayed Another Year

NASA will provide Axiom and Collins with the technical and safety standards for the spacesuits. The two companies will be responsible for design, development, certification, and production of the spacesuits and additional equipment.

“Our commercial partnerships will help realize our human exploration goals,” said Mark Kirasich, deputy associate administrator of NASA’s Artemis Campaign Development Division. “We look forward to using these services for NASA’s continued presence in low-Earth orbit and our upcoming achievement of returning American astronauts to the Moon’s surface. We are confident our collaboration with industry and leveraging NASA’s expertise gained through over 60 years of space exploration will enable us to achieve these goals together.”

According to NASA, the contract will allow the agency to add additional vendors as the “commercial space services market evolves.” Collins Aerospace previously designed the first spacesuits used during the Apollo moon landings, as well as the suits currently used on the ISS.

“Collins was there when the first man walked on the moon, and we’ll be there when humankind goes back,” said Phil Jasper, president of Mission Systems for Collins Aerospace.

The post NASA Selects Axiom Space and Collins Aerospace To Provide New Spacesuits appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The spacewalk had previously been scheduled for Tuesday, but was called off the night before after NASA received a debris notification for the International Space Station.

The repair is expected to last about six hours and 30 minutes and the event marks the first spacewalk for Barron, as well as Expedition 66, NASA said.

The post Watch: NASA Astronauts Conduct Spacewalk appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“The evening of Monday, Nov. 29, NASA received a debris notification for the International Space Station,” NASA said in a statement. “Due to the lack of opportunity to properly assess the risk it could pose to the astronauts, teams have decided to delay the spacewalk planned for Tuesday, Nov. 30 until more information is available. 

“The space station schedule and operations are able to easily accommodate the delay of the spacewalk.” 

NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron had been set to leave the confines of the ISS on Tuesday to conduct the spacewalk in order to repair a faulty communications antenna.

The repair is expected to last about six hours and 30 minutes and the event marks the first spacewalk for Barron, as well as Expedition 66, NASA said.

The delay comes two weeks after a Russian anti-satellite test (ASAT) created a cloud of debris with at least 1,500 trackable pieces, and stoked swift condemnation by U.S. officials.

The potential threat from debris has been a concern for NASA officials when planning the spacewalk, Dana Weigel, NASA deputy manager of the International Space Station Program, said Monday afternoon before NASA delayed the event.

“When the initial breakup occurred, the debris was very concentrated,” she said. “Over time it has dispersed.”

“As ISS passed through the orbit of the debris, we had a heightened, elevated concern for about 24 hours after the event,” she said. “Since that time, the debris has dispersed out quite a bit more. The background environment is slightly elevated. It’s about two times what it had been prior to the event for the space station as a whole.”

Astronauts conducting the spacewalk face a 7 percent increased risk from debris following the ASAT, Weigel said.

The predicted risk for the spacewalk, however, falls in line with others conducted in past years, she added.

“Unfortunately, when you have a debris event like this, and you get a lot of really small pieces scattered around, it just becomes part of the average environment,” she said. “[Extravehicular activity] EVA has always been risky, so the 7 percent is a small increase that is well within the flux that we see in the natural environment.”

The spacewalk is primarily focused on replacing a failed S-Band antenna subassembly on Port Truss, Weigel said. The spare Port 1 Truss S-Band communications antennae is already attached to the side of the ISS.

“This one’s got a failed return link, which means we can uplink from the ground to station through that string but we can’t get anything back through its downlink,” Weigel said. “It hasn’t been an impact on operations because we’ve got a lot of redundancy onboard.”

NASA learned about the faulty antenna in September, which allowed astronauts the opportunity to practice the exact spacewalk in a neutral buoyancy laboratory, Vincent LaCourt, NASA spacewalk flight director said.

The post NASA: Debris Threat Delays Spacewalk appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

NASA astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Barron will perform the repair during the spacewalk, which is expected to last about six hours and 30 minutes. It’s the first spacewalk for Astronaut Kayla Barron, as well as Expedition 66, NASA said.

The spacewalk is expected to begin at approximately 7:10 a.m., and may be watched live on NASA TV.

The spacewalk is primarily focused on replacing a failed S-Band antenna subassembly on Port Truss, Dana Weigel, NASA deputy manager of the International Space Station Program, said Monday.

The spare Port 1 Truss S-Band communications antennae is already attached to the side of the ISS.

“This one’s got a failed return link, which means we can uplink from the ground to station through that string but we can’t get anything back through its downlink,” Weigel said. “It hasn’t been an impact on operations because we’ve got a lot of redundancy onboard.”

NASA learned about the faulty antenna in September, which allowed astronauts the opportunity to practice the exact spacewalk in a neutral buoyancy laboratory, Vincent LaCourt, NASA spacewalk flight director said.

“We had a conference with them this morning,” LaCourt said. “The crew’s feeling great. They feel very well prepared, and my ground team is also well prepared.”

The spacewalk comes two weeks after a Russian anti-satellite test (ASAT) created a cloud of debris with at least 1,500 trackable pieces, and stoked swift condemnation by U.S. officials.

The potential threat from debris was a concern for NASA officials when planning the spacewalk, Weigel said.

“When the initial breakup occurred, the debris was very concentrated,” she said. “Over time it has dispersed.”

“As ISS passed through the orbit of the debris, we had a heightened, elevated concern for about 24 hours after the event,” she said. “Since that time, the debris has dispersed out quite a bit more. The background environment is slightly elevated. It’s about two times what it had been prior to the event for the space station as a whole.”

Astronauts conducting the spacewalk face a 7 percent increased risk from debris following the ASAT, Weigel said.

The predicted risk for the spacewalk, however, falls in line with others conducted in past years, she added.

“Unfortunately when you have a debris event like this, and you get a lot of really small pieces scattered around, it just becomes part of the average environment,” she said. “[Extravehicular activity] EVA has always been risky, so the 7 percent is a small increase that is well within the flux that we see in the natural environment.”

The post ISS Spacewalk Set for Tuesday appeared first on FLYING Magazine.