The Polaris Dawn mission, which involves a team of four civilians, aims to achieve the first-ever civilian spacewalk while testing Starlink laser communications aboard a SpaceX 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 make attempts for the first commercial spacewalk.
One of the mission’s goals is to evaluate Starlink’s laser communication technology in space, which SpaceX anticipates will guide future communication systems for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
This marks the inaugural mission to trial Starlink’s laser communications. SpaceX has implemented a “Plug and Plaser” laser communication system within the Dragon spacecraft’s trunk to facilitate communication with Starlink satellites during the mission. Additionally, a Starlink router has been installed in the cabin of the Dragon.
Since early 2021, SpaceX has been deploying Starlink satellites that are equipped with laser communication technology. In March, Gwynne Shotwell, president and COO of SpaceX, revealed plans to commercialize this technology under the name “Plug and Plaser,” during comments made at SATELLITE 2024.
“We plan to introduce a capability we call ‘plug and plasers’ — [to] commercialize our lasers for integration into other satellite systems,” Shotwell stated in March. “This will be rolled out with our upcoming Polaris Dawn mission on Dragon capsules — enabling internet connectivity for Dragon. I am excited about the possibility of establishing communications with lunar bases and Starlink operations around Mars.”
The Polaris Dawn mission will operate at a higher altitude than any previous Dragon missions, reaching the highest orbit ever achieved by a spacecraft. The crew will also test newly developed SpaceX EVA spacesuits and conduct scientific research.
Jessica Jensen, SpaceX’s vice president of Customer Integration and Operations, remarked, “What the crew and Dragon aim to accomplish in the coming days – from the first commercial spacewalk in innovative EVA suits to traveling farther in Earth’s orbit than any mission since the Apollo program over 50 years ago, to testing Starlink – all contribute to SpaceX’s mission to enhance humanity’s access to space as we journey to return to the Moon, explore Mars, and beyond.”