September 10, 2024 marks a new historic moment for thespace exploration: SpaceX, Elon Musk's aerospace company, has Polaris Dawn mission launched, with the purpose of make the first spacewalk performed by a Civilian crew.
The launch is occurred from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to 11.23 (Italian time), with the crew aboard the Dragon spacecraft having undertaken a five-day mission in orbit. The crew will reach aaltitude of about 1.400 kilometers, the highest since the Apollo missions. The Falcon 9 rocket has thus successfully completed its fourth flight, landing on the drone ship Just Read The Instructions in the Atlantic Ocean.
In addition to marking a technological achievement, Polaris Dawn has a strong scientific component. During the mission, they will be 36 experiments conducted designed by 31 institutions, aimed at better understanding human health in space. In addition, they will be performed Starlink laser-based communications test, essential for future space missions.
Polaris Dawn: A Crew Made Up of “Civilian”
Driving Polaris Dawn is Jared isaacman, entrepreneur and philanthropist who has already made his mark in space exploration with the Inspiration4 mission, the first entirely civilian private space flight. Isaacman has Shift4 Payments founded, a payment processing company that handles transactions worth more than $200 billion a year. His passion for flying has led him to set world records and found Draken International, one of the largest private fighter jet fleets used to train military pilots. This mission is the first of three that the billionaire has purchased from SpaceX in 2022 for its Polaris program, for an undisclosed amount.
Isaacman, the mission commander, is joined by Kidd Potet, a former U.S. Air Force pilot, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis e Anna Menon, respectively mission specialist and medical officer.
The peculiarity of this group is that it is not made up of professional astronauts, but of private citizens selected for their skills and their passion for space. During the mission, they will face the challenge of first private extravehicular activity (EVA) of history, wearing spacesuits developed by SpaceX, a feat never before achieved by commercial astronauts.
Elon Musk's Vision: Mars and Beyond
Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, has always had a clear vision: to make humanity a multiplanetary species. The Polaris Dawn mission is part of a larger plan what a tip to the colonization of Mars, with the goal of building a self-sufficient city on the Red Planet within the next 20 years.
In 2025, SpaceX plans to launch the first unmanned spaceships to Mars, laying the groundwork for future human flights expected by 2028. These initial launches will serve to test landing capabilities and other critical technologies needed to ensure successful missions to Mars. Musk sees this project as a essential step for the survival of humanityà, stressing that having only one “home” – Earth – is too risky.
La colonization of Mars presents enormous technological, logistical and economic challenges. Currently, the cost to carry a ton of cargo to Mars is around a billion dollars. Musk said that to build a self-sustaining city, this cost must be reduced to about $100.000 per ton, requiring drastic technological improvements and radical innovations.
Despite the challenges, SpaceX is making great strides toward realizing this dream. And the Polaris Dawn mission represents an important milestone in this race to the stars.
