SpaceX has launched the Polaris Dawn mission, which is set to surpass the altitude record set by Gemini 11 and feature a commercial spacewalk using SpaceX-designed Extravehicular Activity (EVA) spacesuits.

The launch has been a while coming and subject to multiple delays in the run-up to the mission. An umbilical helium leak caused an August scrub and unfavorable weather resulted in additional postponements. The weather again presented an issue this morning, causing one scrub after the crew had been loaded.

SpaceX had several opportunities to launch today, and it was second time lucky for the crew, led by the mission's commander, Shift4 CEO Jared Isaacman.

The mission, launched from LC-39A from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is expected to last five days. The first notable objective will be to raise the orbit to 190 x 1,400 km, thus surpassing the highest altitude achieved by the Gemini astronauts in the 1960s. The orbit will then be lowered to 190 x 700 km for the first commercial spacewalk.

The mission will be flown on Crew Dragon Resilience, notable for being used on the first operational flight of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. It was later used for Inspiration4 and fitted with a cupola for views once the nose cone was opened. Isaacman was the commander of Inspiration4, so being strapped into Resilience is somewhat of a homecoming for the billionaire.

The first stage of the Falcon 9 used for the launch landed successfully on a drone ship stationed in the Atlantic.

While grabbing an altitude record is impressive, the EVA will be a callback to the past. As with the Gemini and Apollo capsules, the Crew Dragon lacks an airlock, so the cabin must be depressurized before the EVA can commence.

Two astronauts will perform the EVA, which is more a technology demonstration than anything else. The other two crewmembers will remain in the capsule, also in EVA suits. ®

https://www.theregister.com//2024/09/10/spacex_polaris_dawn_launches/