Capsule slowed by parachutes, splashdown… how will the return to Earth of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission happen this Sunday ?

| September 15, 2024 | News | No Comments

The crew of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission is preparing to return to Earth this Sunday, September 15, 2024, after completing the first private spacewalk in history this week.

The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to splash down off the coast of Florida at 3:36 a.m. local time, with its four passengers on board.

The capsule will be slowed in its dizzying descent by parachutes, then recovered by a SpaceX ship after splashdown.

All major objectives of the mission, which marks a new milestone in commercial space exploration, have been met.

Who on board ?

It was conducted under the impetus and with the financial support of American billionaire Jared Isaacman, head of the financial company Shift4. Also on board: two engineers from SpaceX, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, as well as a former American Air Force officer, Scott Poteet.

All had taken off from Florida on Tuesday and on the first day, their ship ventured up to 1,400 kilometers in altitude, further than any crew since the Apollo lunar missions, more than a year ago. half-century.

First civilian spacewalk

Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon became the two women who traveled the furthest from Earth.

Then on Thursday came the event: the first spacewalk by civilians, a risky operation previously reserved for professional astronauts.

Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis each ventured out of the spacecraft for about ten minutes, which was at an altitude of 700 kilometers, still much higher than the International Space Station (ISS).

"A world perfect"

"At home, we have a lot of work, but from here, the Earth really does look like a perfect world", the 41-year-old billionaire said, as impressive views of the blue planet were broadcast live.

The two adventurers made moves to test their white and gray suits — SpaceX's first intended for spacewalks.

Developing and testing the suits, which the company hopes to one day produce in “millions” quantities to colonize Mars, was a major goal of the travel.

"Giant step"

NASA CEO Bill Nelson congratulated SpaceX on Thursday, calling the event "a giant step for the commercial space industry".

The crew, who trained for more than two years for this mission, also tested laser communication between the ship and SpaceX's Starlink satellites, which provide internet from space.

Finally, it carried out around thirty scientific experiments, notably designed to study the impact of space travel on the human body.

This is the second time that Jared Isaacman has flown aboard a SpaceX orbital mission, after a less ambitious first one that he chartered in 2021.

What is Polaris ?

The businessman defends the need for private investment to accelerate the technological developments necessary for the goal he shares with SpaceX: to make humanity a species multiplanetary.

Polaris Dawn inaugurates the Polaris program, which it had announced two and a half years ago.

This program is to include three missions in total. After a second similar to the one that is ending, the third is to be the first crewed flight of SpaceX's Starship mega-rocket, currently in development and intended for trips to the Moon and Mars.

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