SpaceX completes historic Polaris Dawn mission with record orbit
SpaceX announced that the Crew Dragon spacecraft successfully completed the Polaris Dawn mission. The capsule carrying four astronauts landed in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida on Sunday, September 15.
"Dragon and the crew reached 1,408.1 km [875 miles] – the highest Earth orbit ever flown since the Apollo program," SpaceX said in an official statement.
The capsule with astronauts has returned to Earth
On September 12, during the commercial Polaris Dawn mission, an unprecedented event took place: a 20-minute spacewalk performed by two non-professional astronauts at an altitude of 460 miles above Earth. The spacewalk participants were commander Jared Isaacman, who is also the mission's sponsor, and SpaceX medical specialist Sarah Gillis.
The EVA suits developed by SpaceX have been successfully tested in space and may be used during future missions to the Moon and Mars. Experts agree that these trials open new perspectives for future space flights.
Historic spacewalk by non-professional astronauts
The mission began on September 10, when Crew Dragon made six orbits around Earth. The four-member crew also included retired military pilot Scott Poteet and SpaceX engineer Anna Menon. The crew conducted 36 scientific experiments, focusing on studying the effects of cosmic radiation on human health and testing new communication channels in outer space.
The Falcon 9 rocket, owned by SpaceX, launched on September 10 from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The event had been postponed multiple times due to technical problems and unfavorable weather conditions.
