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This article is about the spaceflight program. For other projects and programs, see Polaris (disambiguation).
Polaris
Program overview
CountryUnited States
Organization SpaceX
StatusPlanned
Program history
Duration2022–present
Launch site(s)
Vehicle information
Crewed vehicle(s)
Launch vehicle(s)

The Polaris Program is a planned human spaceflight program organized by businessman and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman. [1] Isaacman, who commanded the first all-civilian spaceflight— Inspiration4—in September 2021, purchased flights from SpaceX in order to create the Polaris Program. The first two flights will use the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, while the third flight is planned to be the first crewed Starship flight. [1] [2] Polaris Dawn, the first flight, will attempt the first private spacewalk. [3]

NASA and SpaceX signed in September 2022 with the Polaris program an unfunded Space Act Agreement to study the feasibility of a SpaceX and Polaris Program mission to boost the Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit with the Crew Dragon. [4]

Flights

Polaris program planned flights
Mission Name Launch Date Launch Vehicle Spacecraft Orbit Crew
Polaris Dawn (Mission I) NET Summer 2024 [5] [6] Falcon 9 Block 5 Crew Dragon  Resilience LEO, 1400 km max altitude [7]
Mission II TBA Falcon 9 Block 5 Crew Dragon TBA United States Jared Isaacman
others TBA
Mission III TBA Starship launch vehicle Starship spacecraft TBA United States Jared Isaacman
others TBA

Polaris Dawn

Launching as soon as the Summer of 2024, Polaris Dawn will be launched from Earth to Low Earth Orbit reaching an apogee of approximately 1400 km (the highest Earth orbit ever thrown). It will involve the first ever private spacewalk and fly through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt. The mission will launch via a Falcon 9 Block 5 vehicle with a Crew Dragon capsule, involving research in the human health impact, radiation, and in-space communications. [6]

Polaris II

Launching at a date and with a crew yet to be announced, the second mission in the Polaris Program will launch via a Falcon 9 Block 5 vehicle with a Crew Dragon capsule, and could potentially lift the Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit to prevent it from burning up in the atmosphere. [8]

Polaris III

Launching at a date and with a crew yet to be announced, the third Polaris mission is set to be the final mission of the Polaris Program, and it will involve the first ever crewed launch of the Starship/Super Heavy launch system. [9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Sheetz, Michael (14 February 2022). "Billionaire astronaut Jared Isaacman buys more private SpaceX flights, including one on Starship". CNBC. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  2. ^ Davenport, Christian. "Jared Isaacman, who led the first all-private astronaut mission to orbit, has commissioned 3 more flights from SpaceX". Washington Post. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  3. ^ Foust, Jeff (2022-08-01). "December launch planned for Polaris Dawn". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  4. ^ NASA, SpaceX to Study Hubble Telescope Reboost Possibility
  5. ^ Foust, Jeff (11 December 2023). "Polaris Dawn rescheduled for April". SpaceNews. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Polaris Dawn". Polaris Program. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  7. ^ Foust, Jeff (11 December 2023). "Polaris Dawn rescheduled for April". SpaceNews. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  8. ^ Chang, Kenneth (September 29, 2022). "NASA May Let Billionaire Astronaut and SpaceX Lift Hubble Telescope". Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Kurkowski, Seth (April 14, 2024). "Polaris Dawn is getting closer and closer to being launch ready". Space Explored. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
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