SpaceX's historic private astronaut launch, Polaris Dawn, lights up the pre-dawn sky (photos)

SpaceX launched its historic Polaris Dawn mission early this morning, and the nighttime launch produced some incredible images.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, led by the space shuttle Crew Dragon Resilience, launched at 5:23 a.m. EDT (09:23 GMT) on Tuesday (Sept. 10) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Polaris Dawn will fly higher than any crewed mission since the Apollo 17 lunar missions in December 1972, reaching an altitude three times higher than the orbit of the International Space Station. After descending to about half its maximum altitude, the crew will depressurize the Crew Dragon capsule and two of the Polaris Dawn crew members will perform a spacewalk (also known as an extravehicular activity, or EVA) in new spacesuits designed by SpaceX. It will be the first spacewalk conducted by a non-governmental mission.

The excitement began early in the morning as the four crew members made their way to their Falcon 9 rocket waiting at Launch Complex 39A.

four people in white space suits waving in a parking lot

The crew of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission will depart in their spacesuits for Launch Complex 39A on September 10, 2024. (Image credit: Polaris Program/John Kraus)

Pad 39A was also the site of many of NASA’s Apollo launches, including Apollo 11, the first mission to land humans on the Moon.

Four people in white spacesuits with visors raised pose and smile in front of a white rocket standing upright on a launch pad.

The crew of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission in front of their Falcon 9 rocket at Launch Complex 39A on September 10, 2024. (Image credit: Polaris Program/John Kraus)

SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad the night before launch.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft of the Polaris Dawn mission on board on September 10, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)

Once on the launch pad, the crew crossed the bridge-like Crew Access Arm to enter their spacecraft.

SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn Dragon capsule on the launch pad

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket at Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on September 10, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)

The Polaris Dawn crew includes billionaire financier and commander Jared Isaacman, retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel and pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both SpaceX engineers.

The crew of the Polaris Dawn before launch on September 10, 2024

The crew of the Polaris Dawn before launch on September 10, 2024 (Image credit: SpaceX)

After missing the first launch window due to weather concerns, Polaris Dawn launched in a dramatic early morning launch at 5:23 a.m. EDT (09:23 GMT).

a white rocket takes off at night above a cloud of fire and smoke

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Polaris Dawn mission lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center on September 10, 2024. (Image credit: GREGG NEWTON/AFP via Getty Images)

As the mission’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off, its nine Merlin engines lit up the morning sky over Florida’s famous Space Coast.

a white rocket takes off at night above a cloud of fire and smoke

The Polaris Dawn mission will lift off from Launch Complex 39A on September 10, 2024. (Photo credit: CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

“We wouldn’t be on this journey without the 14,000 of you at home and everyone else cheering us on,” Isaacman told SpaceX mission control shortly after Crew Dragon was launched into orbit. “We appreciate it. Now we get to work.”

a white rocket takes off at night above a cloud of fire and smoke

The Polaris Dawn mission will leave the launch tower of Launch Complex 39A on September 10, 2024. (Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

One of the main goals of the Polaris Dawn mission is to test SpaceX’s new EVA spacesuit during the planned spacewalk, which, if all goes according to plan, will take place on the third day of the mission.

a white rocket takes off at night above a cloud of fire and smoke

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Polaris Dawn mission lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center on September 10, 2024. (Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

On its way into orbit, the rocket illuminated the wetlands surrounding the Kennedy Space Center.

a rocket leaves a streak of light in the dark sky

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Polaris Dawn mission lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center on September 10, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX via X)

About two minutes and 40 seconds after launch, the Falcon 9’s main engines shut down and the vehicle’s second stage separated from the booster as planned. The booster was scheduled to land on SpaceX’s Just Read the Instructions autonomous drone ship, which was stationed nearby in the Atlantic Ocean, about 9.5 minutes after launch.

a white rocket takes off at night above a cloud of fire and smoke

The nine Merlin engines of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will propel the Polaris Dawn mission into orbit on September 10, 2024. (Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The capsule initially entered an elliptical orbit with a maximum altitude (apogee) of about 1,200 kilometers and a minimum altitude (perigee) of about 190 kilometers.

A cone-shaped capsule flies above the earth, the bright sun can be seen in the background

The Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon Resilience will float into space to begin its five-day mission on September 10, 2024. (Image credit: SpaceX)

The Polaris Dawn crew will spend the next five days in space conducting experiments and communicating with us here on Earth. The mission is also raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to fund pediatric cancer research.

The mission’s spacewalk is scheduled for the third day; on the fourth day, the crew will send a surprise message to Earth using SpaceX’s Starlink mega-constellation.

Polaris Dawn’s Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to splashdown in six days. If all goes according to plan, the capsule will parachute into the ocean at one of several possible landing zones off the coast of Florida, where a recovery ship will pick up the spacecraft and crew.

SpaceX’s historic private astronaut launch, Polaris Dawn, lights up the pre-dawn sky (photos)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Related Posts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply