The planned launch Wednesday of four civilians on a privately chartered spaceflight that would include the first commercial spacewalk has been delayed again, this time because of poor weather conditions expected offshore where the crew capsule will land at the end of the flight, SpaceX announced Tuesday night.
The company said Polar Dawn The launch has been postponed until at least Friday, weather permitting.
“Our launch criteria are severely limited by the expected weather conditions at splashdown,” mission commander Jared Isaacman said in a message on X. “Without rendezvous at the ISS (space station) and limited life support supplies, we must be absolutely certain of the reentry weather conditions before launch.
“Right now, conditions are not favorable tonight or tomorrow, so we will evaluate the situation day by day. As Elon (Musk) mentioned, Polaris Dawn is a difficult mission with critical objectives, so we will wait for the best opportunity to ensure success.”
Already two days behind schedule due to ground-based launch preparation issues, the historic Polaris Dawn flight was scheduled to lift off at 3:38 a.m. ET Wednesday. But Tuesday night, before the countdown began, mission officials reviewed the forecast and ordered another delay.
“Due to anticipated adverse weather conditions in the Dragon splashdown areas off the coast of Florida, we are now canceling Polaris Dawn Falcon 9 launch opportunities tonight and tomorrow,” SpaceX said in a statement posted on social media. “Teams will continue to monitor the weather for favorable launch and return conditions.”
The launch was originally scheduled for Monday, but the flight was delayed 24 hours to complete normal preparations. Another 24-hour delay was then ordered Tuesday after engineers discovered a leak in the launch pad’s umbilical cord that feeds helium propellant to power the rocket’s engines.
But all systems were in working order Tuesday afternoon, with good weather expected for the launch along Florida’s Space Coast. Those hopes were dashed after Tuesday’s weather review late in the day.
SpaceX
“Sometimes the most difficult journeys require the most patience, and we are willing to wait for the right moment,” Isaacman says. wrote on social media. “We know many people traveled to watch the launch and we appreciate your support. Alongside @SpaceX, we will do our best to keep you informed.”
Isaacman’s crew includes former F-16 pilot Scott Poteet and two SpaceX engineers, Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis. They plan to launch into a highly elliptical orbit that will take them to an altitude not reached by any astronaut since the Apollo lunar program.
The flight is SpaceX’s second trip to low Earth orbit chartered by Isaacman, who at 16 founded what became one of the nation’s leading credit card transaction processors. In 2021, he funded and commanded Inspiration4’s missionthe first all-civilian commercial flight into orbit.
SpaceX
The Polaris Dawn mission is the first of three other SpaceX flights funded by Isaacman in cooperation with Musk and the first to feature non-governmental civilian spacewalks.
Using a scaffold known as a “Skywalker,” Isaacman and Gillis will take turns floating through the Crew Dragon’s forward hatch into open space, connected at all times by 12-foot-long tethers.
Since the spacecraft has no airlock, its cabin will be ventilated by vacuum before the hatch opens. Poteet and Menon will also wear pressure suits designed by SpaceX, and while they won’t be able to pop their helmeted heads out, they will be among the most skilled astronauts in spacewalking.
The main goals of the demonstration are to test the new suit’s joints, mobility and comfort to help SpaceX engineers develop spacesuits that are less expensive and easier to produce for the large numbers of people who SpaceX hopes will one day venture to the moon and Mars.
The crew also plans to test a high-speed laser communications system and will conduct a battery of biomedical experiments throughout the five-day flight to help researchers from more than 30 institutions learn more about the effects of weightlessness.
