A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Polaris Dawn with four commercial / civilain astronauts onboard to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 5:23 a.m. on 10 September 2024. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

The Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew Crew-1 to and from the International Space Station, and Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit. This will be the fourth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-8 and two Starlink missions.

MISSION OBJECTIVES
During their multi-day mission to orbit, Dragon and the four commercial crew members will endeavor to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown since the Apollo program and participate in the first-ever extravehicular activity (EVA) by commercial astronauts wearing SpaceX-developed EVA suits. They will also conduct 36 research studies and experiments from 31 partner institutions designed to advance both human health on Earth and during long-duration spaceflight, and test Starlink laser-based communications in space.

IMAGE CREDTS: SPACEX