Tag: Polaris Dawn
-
Polaris Dawn crew gears up for Thursday spacewalk
An artist’s impression of a Polaris Dawn astronaut flowing just outside the Crew Dragon capsule in the first commercial spacewalk. Graphic: SpaceX Billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX crew trainer Sarah Gillis prepared to open the forward hatch of their Polaris Dawn spacecraft early Thursday to take turns floating outside in the first non-government spacewalk in…
-
SpaceX surmounts challenging weather, launches Polaris Dawn astronaut mission
The SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience separates from the Falcon 9 upper stage, beginning the Polaris Dawn mission on Sept. 10, 2024. Image: SpaceX Update 6:06 a.m. EDT: Crew Dragon Resilience separated from the Falcon 9 upper stage. Despite some challenging weather at the opening of the launch window, SpaceX managed to send the Polaris Dawn…
-
SpaceX launches 7,000th Starlink satellite to date on Falcon 9 flight from Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on the Starlink 8-11 mission on Sept. 5, 2024. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Update 1:12 p.m. EDT: SpaceX confirmed deployment of the 21 Starlink satellites. SpaceX managed to find good enough weather to launch its 85th Falcon 9 rocket…
-
SpaceX Falcon 9 booster collapses in a fireball on the droneship, ending a streak of 267 successful landings
SpaceX lost its flight leader booster, tail number B1062, during its landing attempt on the droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’ This was the booster’s 23rd flight. Image: SpaceX Update 5:20 a.m. EDT: SpaceX is scrubbing the Starlink 9-5 launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base to allow more time to review the data from the B1062…
-
Launch delay: SpaceX pushes Polaris Dawn astronaut launch due to splashdown weather concerns
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft stand ready to launch the Polaris Dawn commercial astronaut mission from Launch Complex 39A. Liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is set for no earlier than 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 UTC) on Aug. 27, 2024. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now Update 10:18 p.m. EDT: SpaceX is foregoing…
-
SpaceX completes static fire test of its Falcon 9 rocket in preparation for the Polaris Dawn astronaut mission
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket ignites its Merlin engines during a static fire test at dawn on Aug. 25, 2024. The test followed a dry dress rehearsal of the mission’s flight day. Image: Spaceflight Now The SpaceX and Polaris Dawn teams checked a couple of important boxes before they are ready to launch the historic…
-
Polaris Dawn astronauts, set to perform first commercial spacewalk, arrive in Florida ahead of launch
The crew of the Polaris Dawn mission pose in front of the Alpha jets they flew in on to the Kennedy Space Center. Left to right: Mission Specialist Anna Menon, Pilot Scott “Kidd” Potent, Commander Jared Isaacman, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now The four-member crew of what is set to be an…
-
Polaris Dawn astronauts discuss training for historic commercial spacewalk
Polaris Dawn Commander Jared Isaacman (left) and Pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet alongside a SpaceX render of the spacewalk that will be performed during their mission. Photoillustration: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now Amid a flurry of astronaut missions scheduled for 2024, a commercial flight is aiming to mark a historic first: a non-governmental spacewalk. This is just one…