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A billionaire is going to space — again. But this time, he says he’s doing it for science too, not just for his own enjoyment.
Next week, billionaire Jared Isaacman will do the first-ever private spacewalk during the Space X Polaris Dawn mission. The crew will also be doing a slew of tests on human health in space as SpaceX tries to understand if and how we could viably live in the stars.
Here’s what you need to know.
When and where is the launch?
The Polaris mission was slated to launch on Monday, August 26 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. But on Wednesday SpaceX announced the mission would be delayed until Tuesday, August 27, saying more time was needed for pre-flight checks.
Who’s going on the Polaris mission?
Isaacman, who founded the payments company Shift4 (FOUR), won’t be the only one aboard.
The crew of four consists of him, mission specialist and medical officer Anna Menon, mission specialist Sarah Gillis, and pilot Scott Poteet.
The quartet has been training together, including by skydiving, scuba diving, and even spending more than 2,000 hours in a simulator.
Isaacman has been to space with SpaceX twice before.
Where in space are they going?
Space is …big, so relatively speaking, not that far. At one point, they will be about three times higher than the International Space Station, relative to Earth.
SpaceX said the crew will be “reaching the highest Earth orbit ever flown while moving through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt.” At that point, it will be about 870 miles from the Earth’s surface.
What will they do in space?
It will take the Polaris mission just about 10 minutes to get to space. They plan to be up there for five days.
On the agenda is Isaacman’s spacewalk, which will take place about 435 miles above Earth in the new SpaceX EVA space suits.
The crew will also be testing laser-based satellite communication to do research for SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet company.
SpaceX also says the crew will be conducting dozens of experiments to advance human health on Earth and in space. During downtime, they’ll have Doritos to snack on.
Can I watch the Polaris mission takeoff?
Yes! If you want to watch in person, you can still get tickets to see the early-morning takeoff at the Kennedy Space Center. It will also be streamed online.
