The Polaris Dawn mission, featuring a crew of four civilians, aims to conduct the first civilian spacewalk while also testing Starlink laser communications onboard the Dragon spacecraft.
SpaceX successfully launched the Polaris Dawn mission early Tuesday at 5:23 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The crew will spend five days in orbit and attempt to complete the first commercial spacewalk.
One of the key objectives of this mission is to evaluate Starlink’s laser-based communication system in space, which could enhance future communication technologies for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
This mission marks the inaugural test of the Starlink laser communications. SpaceX has equipped the Dragon spacecraft with what they refer to as the “Plug and Plaser” laser communication system, allowing it to connect with Starlink satellites throughout the mission. Additionally, a Starlink router has been installed inside the Dragon’s cabin.
Since early 2021, SpaceX has been launching Starlink satellites that feature laser communication capabilities. In March, Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO of SpaceX, announced plans to commercialize this laser technology and introduce the “Plug and Plaser” system, as she spoke at SATELLITE 2024.
“We are going to roll out a capability, we call it ‘plug and plasers’ — [to] commercialize our lasers to put on other satellites systems,” Shotwell stated in March. “We’ll roll that out with our new Polaris Dawn mission coming up this summer on Dragon capsules — so we’ll connect Dragon to the internet. I’m really looking forward to having communications to bases on the Moon, and Starlink around Mars.”
The Polaris Dawn mission is set to fly higher than any prior Dragon mission, achieving the highest Earth orbit ever reached. The astronauts will also test new SpaceX EVA spacesuits and engage in scientific research.
“What the crew and Dragon aim to achieve over the next few days – from the first-ever commercial spacewalk in newly-designed EVA suits to traveling the farthest in Earth’s orbit since the Apollo program over 50 years ago to testing Starlink – all of this contributes to SpaceX’s goal to provide greater access to space as humanity prepares to return to the Moon, travel to Mars, and further,” remarked Jessica Jensen, vice president of Customer Integration and Operations at SpaceX.