SpaceX's Ambitious Polaris Dawn Mission Delayed by Helium Leak, Musk Ensures Triple-Check Safety Measures

Distance to launch about 7 hours, Elon Musk's SpaceX postponed its "craziest" mission of the year.
On the evening of August 26th, SpaceX canceled the scheduled Polaris Dawn spacewalk mission that was supposed to occur on August 27th.
A helium leak caused the delay.
On the evening of August 26th, SpaceX delayed the rocket launch carrying four astronauts.
The launch was originally planned at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida from Launch Complex 39A, using a Falcon 9 rocket to execute the mission codenamed "Polaris Dawn." The launch was scheduled for 3:38 AM EDT on August 27th.
Sarah Gillis, one of SpaceX's lead engineers, mentioned on social media that the launch was initially set for early Tuesday but was postponed due to the need to inspect a ground-side helium leak.

Elon Musk made two statements on social media, indicating that thorough triple-checks were being conducted to ensure nothing more could be done to enhance crew safety. He remarked, "An incredible team's effort has gone into making this historic mission possible."

SpaceX announced that the next launch window would not be earlier than August 28th. The current plan is to launch the "Polaris Dawn" rocket into low Earth orbit at 3:38 AM EDT on August 28th. There are two additional launch opportunities within the following four hours, at 5:23 AM and 7:09 AM EDT. If necessary, there are backup launch opportunities at the same times on Thursday, August 29th.

Billionaire involvement
The Polaris Dawn mission is being flown by billionaire Jared Isaacman, who previously went into orbit with SpaceX in 2021 and funded this flight and its development.
Joining him are SpaceX's lead engineers, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, as well as Isaacman's friend and former Air Force pilot, Kid Poteet.

According to prior plans, a significant moment of this mission will occur on the third day of the flight when Isaacman and Gillis plan to exit the Crew Dragon spacecraft through an open hatch to perform spacewalks. Both will go out for approximately 15 to 20 minutes each time. Although only Gillis and Isaacman will leave the spacecraft, the entire crew will wear SpaceX's new spacesuits since the entire interior of the Dragon spacecraft will be exposed to the vacuum of space during operations.
The entire process, from depressurizing the spacecraft to resealing it, will take roughly two hours.

Despite the primary focus on spacewalks, Polaris Dawn also plans to achieve secondary objectives and break some space records.
In the first phase of the flight, the Crew Dragon will reach an altitude of 870 miles (1400 km) above Earth, the farthest a human has traveled into space since the Apollo lunar missions. If successful, Menon and Gillis could become the female record holders for the farthest distance traveled from Earth.
Given the greater distance, the astronauts will be exposed to a much higher radiation environment than those traveling to the International Space Station in low Earth orbit. SpaceX will gather critical research on how the space environment impacts the human body.

Simultaneously, SpaceX plans to demonstrate its Starlink service during the flight.
A "transmitter" installed inside the spacecraft will attempt to connect to the Starlink satellite internet, showcasing potential connectivity for future missions.
Musk previously described this mission as an epic achievement, calling it an "early pioneering step in the interstellar age." He suggested that if this project succeeds, hundreds of people could be sent to Earth orbit, the Moon, or even Mars based on related technologies.

From: Securities Times

Author: Han Chengyu

Original Title: SpaceX Incident! Helium Leak, Launch Canceled! Musk Responds...