updates
Polaris Dawn and a path to crew on Starship
On February 14, 2022, SpaceX said Jared Isaacman's Polaris Program would fly up to three missions, starting with a Dragon spacewalk targeted for the fourth quarter of 2022.
Topics: space-civilization
This page is an original Muskularity summary. It does not republish SpaceX’s full post. Figures are the company’s statements on the cited date unless another primary link is named.
Summary
Jared Isaacman, who commanded Inspiration4, announced Polaris: up to three human flights to test new capabilities, do research, raise money for causes, and end with the first crewed Starship flight. The first mission, Polaris Dawn, was targeted no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2022 from Kennedy LC-39A. Plans for that Dragon flight: fly higher than any prior Dragon and try for the highest Earth orbit yet flown, spend up to five days up, attempt the first commercial spacewalk, run health research, and be the first crew to test Starlink laser links.
The crew named with Isaacman: Scott Poteet, and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. The suit that would make the spacewalk possible is described two years later in the EVA suit post. The 2022 quarter is a target, and the post does not claim the flight had a license date.
Key facts
| Fact | Label |
|---|---|
| Up to three missions, the last described as the first crewed Starship flight | Program announcement |
| Polaris Dawn target: no earlier than Q4 2022, up to five days, from LC-39A | Company plan |
| Crew named: Isaacman, Poteet, Gillis, Menon | Company crew announcement |
| Objectives include a commercial spacewalk and a Starlink laser test | Company mission objectives |
Why it matters
Polaris is the commercial crew line that runs from Inspiration4 toward a human Starship flight that, in this archive, is still ahead. The spacewalk objective is hardware-specific; the 2022 date was not a launch.
On this site
Sources
- SpaceX update, February 14, 2022 — Grade A, company post
- Polaris announcement linked by SpaceX — Grade A, program page
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