Launch of Jared Isaacman’s second spaceflight scheduled for tonight
The real rocket behind tonight’s launch
UPDATE: The launch tonight was scrubbed due to a helium leak in a “ground side umbilical disconnect.” SpaceX is now targeting Wednesday, August 28 at 3:38 AM (Eastern) for the next launch attempt.
Original post:
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At 3:38 am (Eastern) tonight, SpaceX’s will attempt the launch of the Polaris Dawn mission carrying billionaire Jared Isaacman (on his second spaceflight) and three other private passengers (two of which are SpaceX employees), its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying the Resilience capsule on its third flight.
I have embedded a live stream of the launch below. SpaceX says it will begin 3.5 hours before launch. For those on the west coast the timing is reasonable. East coasters will have to do without sleep tonight if they wish to watch.
The mission’s main engineering goal during its five-day duration is to complete the first all private spacewalk using EVA suits developed by SpaceX. Two of the crew will exit the capsule, but all four will be in the suits because the capsule has no airlock and will be entirely vented of air during the spacewalk. The mission’s secondary goal (which it actually will do first) will be to raise the orbit to about 870 miles, the highest orbit for a manned flight since the Apollo missions in the 1970s. During that high orbit the crew will do radiation research, which they will continue after the orbit is lowered. More information about the mission goals can be read here.
The mission’s real goal however has nothing to do with engineering and everything to do with freedom and the American dream. This is an entirely private mission. The rocket is privately built. The capsule is privately built. The launchpad is privately built. The launch crew is privately employed. The astronauts are all private citizens, with one paying the way for the entire flight and two flying as employees of SpaceX to test the operation of its capsule in orbit.
No government money is involved. The government had little or no say on what will happen. The mission will illustrate in very stark terms what the American dream is all about, since it has been conceived, paid for, and created entirely by private citizens following their own dreams and goals.
Hail to freedom! May the bell of liberty always ring.
SpaceX’s own live streams at either SpaceX.com or on X will only become available once they go live. I have however embedded the Space Affairs youtube feed of that live stream below, which allows you to go on standby before the stream goes live.
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The Falcon 9 went horizontal a few hours ago. Don’t be surprised if this mission gets delayed.
When Worlds Collide (1951)
-escape scene-
https://youtu.be/BEpEK58XijA
5:51
Mkenr – it’s official. Delayed until Wednesday.
https://x.com/schilkescott/status/1828231992044929255?s=46
One thing that just struck me: This isn’t even the only launch SpaceX is doing early Wednesday morning. They’re also doing a Starlink launch out at Vandenberg 92 minutes before this one.
And then, another Starlink launch 22 hours later.
Astounding that SpaceX is at a point where they don’t need to clear their decks for a week (let alone a month) to do an ambitious crew mission launch. They have the resources and the confidence that they can just keep cranking out satellite launches at the usual tempo of 3 per week without skipping a beat, even one of ’em is almost simultaneous with aforementioned crew launch.
I can’t imagine NASA pulling off something like this even in their salad days.
There is such a thing as trying to hard.
Jeff Wright,
But for SpaceX, this is not “trying too hard.” Richard M is right. For SpaceX, this is just another typical Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the photos I’ve seen on-line of the Polaris Dragon it didn’t look like there were Super Drago engines on it? The grey metallic exhaust ducts were missing unless there is some type of cover on them. Does anyone know the situation, I’d be interested in knowing.
Thanks.