The Polaris Dawn mission, featuring a crew of four civilians, aims to execute the first civilian spacewalk and test Starlink laser communications aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.
SpaceX successfully launched the Polaris Dawn mission at 5:23 a.m. ET on Tuesday from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The mission will see the crew spend five days in orbit, marking an ambitious attempt at the first commercial spacewalk.
Additionally, one of the mission’s key objectives is to evaluate SpaceX’s Starlink laser communications in space, which the company indicates could enhance future communication systems for missions aimed at the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
This mission is notable as it will be the first to trial Starlink’s laser communication capabilities. SpaceX has incorporated what is referred to as the “Plug and Plaser” laser communication system within the Dragon spacecraft’s trunk. A Starlink router has also been fitted inside the cabin of the Dragon.
Since early 2021, SpaceX has been deploying Starlink satellites equipped with laser communication technology. Earlier this year, Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO of SpaceX, announced plans to commercialize this technology at SATELLITE 2024, indicating that it will be utilized in the upcoming Polaris Dawn mission. “We are going to roll out a capability, we call it ‘plug and plasers’ — [to] commercialize our lasers to put on other satellite systems,” Shotwell remarked.
The Polaris Dawn mission will reach a higher orbit than any prior Dragon mission and represents the highest Earth orbit achieved to date. The astronauts will also don newly developed SpaceX EVA spacesuits and conduct scientific research during their mission.
Jessica Jensen, vice president of Customer Integration and Operations at SpaceX, expressed the significance of the mission, stating, “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 aim to help humanity have greater access to space on our way to returning to the Moon, traveling to Mars, and beyond.”