An announcement from Polaris Dawn mission specialist and medical officer
@annawmenon
— her new book, Kisses from Space, is available for pre-order ahead of its release on June 4, 2024!
📖✨👩🚀
The Polaris Dawn crew visited the suit lab at
@SpaceX
headquarters this week to see progress on the new SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits, which are upgrades of the current intravehicular (IVA) suits
We are proud to introduce the Polaris Program, a first-of-its-kind effort to rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities while continuing to raise funds and awareness for important causes on Earth →
Introducing the crew of Polaris Dawn:
Jared “Rook” Isaacman, Mission Commander
Scott “Kidd” Poteet, Mission Pilot
Sarah Gillis, Mission Specialist
Anna Menon, Mission Specialist & Medical Officer
Full biographies →
The Polaris Dawn crew completed another week of classroom training and Dragon simulations at
@SpaceX
’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California
Photo: SpaceX
Our crew completed their first week of EVA training, practicing maneuvers necessary to move in and out of Dragon during a spacewalk. They also reviewed development of EVA technology and lessons learned from the last 50 years
Photos:
@SpaceX
We’re excited to provide Starlink to over 100 schools in Chile and Brazil, and the Polaris Dawn crew recently talked to children at the first school in Chile to be connected as part of this effort! →
The crew will attempt the first commercial spacewalk with SpaceX-designed extravehicular activity suits, upgraded from the current intravehicular suit.
The program will consist of up to three human spaceflight missions that will demonstrate new technologies, conduct extensive research, and ultimately culminate in the first flight of SpaceX’s Starship with humans on board.
We stand with Ukraine and its brave citizens and all those fighting for freedom across the world.
The Polaris Dawn crew will take this flag to a place in space that still remains beyond the reach of tyranny.
The Polaris Dawn crew recently visited Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral in Florida for training and familiarization with Launch Complex 39A, launch day suit-up facilities, and water recovery vessels
Photos:
@SpaceX
Polaris Dawn will be the first crew to test Starlink laser-based communications in space and will conduct scientific research to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflights.
During a parabolic zero-gravity flight today, the crew of Polaris Dawn familiarized themselves with weightlessness and practiced conducting science experiments that will fly on Dragon during their five-day mission to space
The Inspiration4 mission showed that we can make progress for our future in space while addressing the needs of Earth today.
After raising $240+ million for
@StJude
, our partnership will continue to help ensure no child dies in the dawn of life →
The Polaris Dawn crew began their first week of training on Dragon and its systems this week at
@SpaceX
headquarters in Hawthorne, California
Photo: SpaceX
In preparation for the Polaris Dawn mission’s planned spacewalk, the crew participated in a decompression sickness risk characterization study in the 20 Foot Chamber at NASA’s Johnson Space Center →
Meet the Polaris team of Directors:
Todd “Leif” Ericson
Sean “Stroker” Gustafson
Dr. Samantha “Combo” Weeks
John “Slick” Baum
Sarah Grover
John “Snap” Kraus
Casey Phillips
More about our team →
“Polaris is excited to assist in this study and hopefully it leads us down a path that ensures Hubble continues to service science for decades into the future.” —
@rookisaacman
The Polaris Dawn crew completed their first training events this week, participating in pool and ocean scuba dives in preparation for their mission’s extra-vehicular activity
Photos:
@SpaceX
We announced the Polaris Program and its first mission one year ago this month. Recap of the Polaris Dawn crew’s training to-date as we look ahead to the mission’s launch, now targeted for no earlier than summer 2023 →
Fighter Jet Training weekend has began for the Polaris Dawn crew, familiarizing the team with high g-forces and crew resource management in a high-consequence environment
This week, the Polaris Dawn crew completed training to familiarize themselves with the symptoms they may experience while at higher altitudes where there’s lack of oxygen as well as the g-forces experienced during launch and reentry
The Polaris Dawn crew completed another training objective this week: high-altitude mountaineering in Ecuador.
Climbing the Illiniza Norte and Cotopaxi volcanos pushed their physical and mental endurance to the limit — a valuable team-building opportunity before flying to space.
Follow the Polaris Program on Flickr to see the latest photos from training milestones and other campaign events ahead of the launch of Polaris Dawn, slated for no earlier than Q4 2022 ��
Polaris Dawn commander
@rookisaacman
visited
@EmbryRiddle
last Friday, speaking to students and checking out the university’s Space Technologies Laboratory, where their student team is working on a camera system to film the first commercial spacewalk.
Tackling important issues here on Earth such as childhood cancer and improving connectivity are core tenets of the Polaris Program. Our team recently visited the Philippines to deliver Starlinks to a local hospital and meet with patients and doctors →
Our Polaris Dawn crew last week completed the
@AF_Academy
’s AM-490 skydiving course, conducting solo skydiving jumps to enhance their decision-making expertise in high-consequence environments →
Some shots taken by
@annawmenon
in an L-39 during yesterday’s photo flight — great real-world practice ahead of photography at orbital velocity in space!
Polaris is proud to partner with
@IWC
to produce four unique Polaris Dawn timepieces that will fly to space — endeavoring to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown — and be auctioned to raise funds for
@StJude
Our team is incredibly excited to attend
@EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh for an assortment of flights and to continue raising awareness for
@StJude
as the Polaris Dawn crew progresses toward their launch to space later this year.
Attendees, keep your eyes to the skies this weekend!
Check out
@NASASpaceflight
’s interview with
@KiddPoteet
, detailing his USAF career, fighter jet formation flights, his work with Inspiration4, his role as Mission Pilot of Polaris Dawn, and more →
Our teams visited White Sands Test Facility to observe how EVA suit materials behave after being struck by micrometeorites or orbital debris, an important part of developing the spacesuits the Polaris Dawn crew will wear during the mission’s spacewalk
Congratulations
@rookisaacman
🛩️🚀👏
“For his exemplary accomplishments as an aviator, entrepreneur and philanthropist, Isaacman has been named the 2023 recipient of
@NBAA
’s 2023 Meritorious Service to Aviation Award at the Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE).”
As SpaceX prepares for the Crew-8 mission with NASA, it's also working towards its next free-flying mission: Polaris Dawn.
We spoke with
@PolarisProgram
Commander
@rookisaacman
and Pilot
@KiddPoteet
about their training and the spacesuits.
Full video:
Research is essential for helping us here on Earth and on long-duration spaceflights. Excited to see what SpaceX and the research community develops for all future human spaceflight missions!
We were planning to fly around Bozeman this weekend but I heard the most powerful rocket ever built is going for a test flight this weekend. Next stop… Starbase🚀
📸
@CinemaDynamics
Our team visited
@StJude
yesterday to learn more about the groundbreaking work the hospital conducts in Memphis and around the world as a part of its global efforts to fight pediatric cancer.
We are honored to support this important cause alongside our Polaris Dawn mission!
From 19,347 feet — the incredible view at the summit of the Cotopaxi volcano in Ecuador with members of the Polaris Dawn team,
@RMIExpeditions
and
@EdViesturs
, and local Ecuadorian guides
After the Polaris team’s visit to
@EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh 2022, training continues this week for the Polaris Dawn crew. Stay tuned for updates!
More photos from our weekend of flying →
The crew is actively training at Hawthorne to prepare for this mission’s goals, from the first commercial spacewalk to testing Starlink internet aboard Dragon to readying all of the science and research ahead of launch
Photography practice for
@rookisaacman
on Earth before taking photos looking back at our home planet from ~1400km during upcoming Polaris Dawn mission 📷🚀🌎
Gillis is responsible for overseeing
@SpaceX
’s astronaut training program. A graduate of
@CUBoulder
, Sarah has a lifelong passion for music & enjoys all forms of outdoor adventure.
Our Polaris Dawn crew participated in the
@StJude
Memphis Marathon Weekend today 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃🏃
We were fortunate to run with our friend and pediatric cancer survivor Liv and her family 💪
Great to speak with
@ABCNewsLive
and raise awareness of
@StJude
’s life-saving mission! Our team is excited to partake in the Memphis Marathon on Saturday →
As we reach for the stars during our missions to space, we remain dedicated to inspiring people here on Earth.
Our Ghost Squadron plays a role in astronaut training, R&D, and our continued support of
@StJude
.
We are excited to share our 2024 air show schedule:
L-39s flying above snowy mountains and clear blue skies as the Ghost Squadron fleet heads to Lakeland, Florida in preparation for the team’s upcoming air show appearances this season, starting with SUN ’n FUN April 9-14 →