Photos of the Day: My Face in Space...

My Face in Space

Happy Halloween, everyone! Just thought I'd end this month with these two screenshots that were taken from a video filmed during the Polaris Dawn mission two months ago.

Thanks to My Face in Space, an online campaign where people were invited to submit photos of themselves to fly on SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience capsule last September (with the proceeds going to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital), I got to see a selfie that I sent months ago float around inside the cabin of Resilience with Earth shining brightly outside the window!

I've flown my name on dozens of space missions since 1996, but to actually see myself virtually floating beyond Earth's atmosphere? Absolutely surreal.

I've also included the certificate that My Face in Space sent me after the Polaris Dawn mission had concluded on September 15. Check out the YouTube video below to see the photos that other participants included on this flight!


My Face in Space


My Face in Space

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The Resilience Capsule Heads Home After Completing a Private, History-making Spaceflight...

SpaceX

Polaris Dawn Crew Returns to Earth, Achieving Major Objectives During Their Five-Day Mission (Press Release)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – After nearly five days orbiting Earth, the astronauts of Polaris Dawn, flying aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, safely splashed down off the coast of Florida at 3:36:54 a.m. EDT. The mission launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:23 a.m. EDT on September 10, 2024.

After SpaceX teams safely recovered Dragon, the crew flew to Kennedy Space Center to reunite with their families and complete initial medical checks ahead of flying to Houston, Texas, to complete more of the mission’s research studies.

The Polaris Dawn crew accomplished several historic milestones, including:

- Flying higher than any previous Dragon mission to date and reaching the highest Earth orbit ever flown, all while moving through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt at an altitude of 1,408.1 kilometers (874.9 miles) from Earth’s surface – or more than three times farther than the International Space Station. This was the highest altitude of any human spaceflight mission since the Apollo program;

- Completing the first-ever commercial spacewalk while traveling at 17,500 miles per hour in an elliptical orbit of approximately 190 x 700 kilometers (435 miles) above Earth with new SpaceX-designed extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits – the development of which will define future long-duration and scalable missions in space;

- Partnering with 31 global institutions to conduct approximately 36 experiments for critical scientific research designed to advance our knowledge of human health both on Earth and during future long-duration spaceflights;

- Testing laser-based satellite communication using optical links between the Dragon spacecraft and Starlink satellites, revolutionizing the speed and quality of space communications;

- Reading Kisses From Space, a book written by Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon to share with both her own family and several brave patients of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®;

- Holding a special music moment to unite and inspire the world through the globally-understood medium of music, while also fundraising for St. Jude and El Sistema USA. During the mission, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis played the violin part from “Rey’s Theme” by composer John Williams and sent the recording back to Earth using Starlink. She was joined in her performance by professional and youth musicians from around the world through a series of pre-recorded orchestra sessions.

The youth musicians captured in the video are students in the international El Sistema network of organizations, including the El Sistema program in Venezuela, The Boston String Academy in the United States, NEOJIBA in Brazil, Dream Orchestra in Sweden, Brass for Africa in Uganda, and BLUME Haiti. The video of this historic performance is the first-of-its-kind downloaded from space enabled with Starlink high-speed internet in space.

Additional updates about the mission and crew post-return will continue to be available via the Polaris social media channels.

Source: Polaris Program

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SpaceX


SpaceX


SpaceX

The Very First EVA By Private Astronauts Is Conducted from SpaceX's Resilience Capsule...

SpaceX

Polaris Dawn Crew Tests New Suit and Completes First Commercial Spacewalk (Press Release)

LOS ANGELES, California – The Polaris Dawn crew, after launching into space earlier this week, completed the first commercial spacewalk at 4:58 am EDT today. Wearing newly-designed SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) suits, the crew began their approximately two-hour operation at 3:12 a.m. EDT while traveling at 17,500 miles per hour in an elliptical orbit of 190 x 700 km above the Earth. This spacewalk represents an important milestone of the Polaris Program, a developmental program designed to further the advancement of human spaceflight.

The crew began preparations for the spacewalk shortly after liftoff, through a two-day pre-breathe process designed to prevent decompression sickness by slowly acclimatizing the crew to lower pressures while slowly increasing oxygen levels within the spacecraft’s cabin. Once complete, the crew began preparations for the spacewalk, which included donning their EVA suits, completing suit leak checks, and venting Dragon down to vacuum.

After opening the hatch, the Polaris Dawn crew became the first four astronauts to be exposed to the vacuum of space at the same time. Over the next approximately twenty minutes, Commander Jared Isaacman and Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis egressed the vehicle, completed a series of tests designed to evaluate the suit’s mobility, thermal systems and the Dragon mobility aid “Skywalker” before returning to the cabin and closing the hatch. Mission Pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon supported Isaacman and Gillis throughout the entire operation monitoring vital support systems.

Once the hatch was closed, Dragon was re-pressurized, cabin oxygen and pressure levels confirmed, and the crew was able to remove their EVA suits, officially completing the suit testing alongside the first commercial spacewalk and the first EVA from a Dragon spacecraft. The crew was supported throughout the entire EVA by SpaceX teams in Hawthorne, California.

During the spacewalk, Isaacman reflected on the experience: “SpaceX, back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world.”

Over the last two years, the Polaris Dawn crew worked alongside SpaceX engineers throughout the development of the EVA suit. The suits underwent hundreds of hours of testing, including in a pressure and vacuum chamber to validate the pre-breathe protocol as well as EVA suit performance. First unveiled in May 2024, the EVA suit evolved from SpaceX’s Intravehicular Activity (IVA) suit.

The new EVA suit provides greater mobility, a state-of-the-art helmet heads-up display (HUD) and camera, new thermal management textiles, and materials borrowed from SpaceX vehicles – specifically, Falcon’s interstage and Dragon’s trunk. All of these enhancements to the EVA suit are part of a scalable design for the millions of spacesuits required to help make life multiplanetary.

“Today’s EVA was the first time four humans were exposed to the vacuum of space while completing the first-ever commercial astronaut spacewalk from a commercially-produced spacecraft in commercially-produced extravehicular activity suits,” said Stu Keech, Vice President of Dragon at SpaceX. “This incredible milestone is all thanks to the hard work of the crew and many SpaceX teams, all focused on a goal of making life multiplanetary.”

Source: Polaris Program

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SpaceX


SpaceX


SpaceX

SpaceX's Resilience Capsule Embarks on the Most Distant Crewed Spaceflight Since Apollo 17 in 1972...

SpaceX

Polaris Dawn Successfully Launches to Earth’s Orbit and Begins Five-Day Mission (Press Release)

Groundbreaking Mission Set to Achieve Many Milestones for Commercial Spaceflight

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – On September 10, the crew of Polaris Dawn began their historic mission aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to expand commercial space exploration at 5:23:49 AM EDT as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“Today’s successful launch of Polaris Dawn highlights that the future of human spaceflight is happening now,” said Jessica Jensen, Vice President of Customer Integration and Operations at SpaceX. “What the crew and Dragon aim to achieve over the next few days – from the first-ever commercial spacewalk in newly-designed EVA suits to traveling the farthest in Earth’s orbit since the Apollo program over 50 years ago to testing Starlink – all of this contributes to SpaceX’s aim to help humanity have greater access to space on our way to returning to the Moon, traveling to Mars, and beyond.”

Since the announcement of Polaris Dawn in February 2022, the crew completed more than two years of essential training activities, to prepare them for the landmark mission. This included centrifuge operations, hundreds of hours of Dragon simulations, skydiving, survival training, high-performance aircraft piloting, Zero-G flight training, altitude training, as well as classroom academics and medical testing. Additionally, and especially important for Polaris Dawn, the crew received extensive EVA training, both underwater and suspended operations, as well as the associated medical training.

The combined test, development and training program has prepared the crew for these important mission objectives:

- Flying higher than any previous Dragon mission to date and reaching the highest Earth orbit ever flown while moving through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt at an orbital altitude of 190 x 1,400 kilometers (870 miles) from Earth’s surface – or more than three times higher than the International Space Station. This will be the highest altitude of any human spaceflight mission in Earth’s orbit in more than a half-century since the Apollo program;

- Attempting the first-ever commercial spacewalk. This will take place at an elliptical orbit of 190 x 700 kilometers (435 miles) above Earth in newly-developed SpaceX EVA spacesuits. During the spacewalk, the crew will conduct a series of tests that will provide necessary data that will allow SpaceX teams to produce and scale for future long-duration missions. The crew worked with SpaceX engineers throughout suit development, testing various iterations for mobility and performance (along with mobility aids and systems procedures), and conducted operations inside vacuum chambers to validate pre-breathe protocols and the readiness of the EVA suit;

- Testing laser-based satellite communication using optical links between the Dragon spacecraft and Starlink satellites, revolutionizing the speed and quality of space communications;

- Conducting nearly 40 experiments for critical scientific research designed to advance our knowledge of human health both on Earth and during future long-duration space flights.

After completing the up-to-five-day journey, the Polaris Dawn team will reenter Earth’s atmosphere to splash down off the coast of Florida.

Additional details will be revealed leading up to, during, and after the mission via the Polaris Dawn website and social media channels, including other first-of-their-kind events to be held and shared while in orbit.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® is the official charitable partner of Polaris Dawn and fundraising for St. Jude will be integrated into various aspects of the mission. DORITOS®, a PepsiCo Foods brand, is making a significant donation to St. Jude and will join this historic mission. IWC Schaffhausen will also support the mission through its specially-designed and donated Pilot’s Watch Chronograph Edition “Polaris Dawn” watch, which will be worn on the flight before being auctioned to benefit St. Jude.

Source: Polaris Program

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Polaris Program


SpaceX

SpaceX Will Launch Commercial Astronauts on a Unique Trajectory Around the Earth...

SpaceX

First Human Spaceflight to Fly Over Earth’s Polar Regions (News Release)

In the past four years, SpaceX has launched thirteen human spaceflight missions, safely flying 50 crewmembers to and from Earth’s orbit and creating new opportunities for humanity to live, work and explore what is possible in space. Dragon’s 46 missions overall to orbit have delivered critical supplies, scientific research and astronauts to the International Space Station, while also opening the door for commercial astronauts to explore Earth’s orbit.

As early as this year, Falcon 9 will launch Dragon’s sixth commercial astronaut mission, Fram2, which will be the first human spaceflight mission to explore Earth from a polar orbit and fly over the Earth’s polar regions for the first time. Named in honor of the ship that helped explorers first reach Earth’s Arctic and Antarctic regions, Fram2 will be commanded by Chun Wang, an entrepreneur and adventurer from Malta. Wang aims to use the mission to highlight the crew’s explorational spirit, bring a sense of wonder and curiosity to the larger public, and highlight how technology can help push the boundaries of exploration of Earth and through the mission’s research.

Joining Wang on the mission is a crew of international adventurers: Norway’s Jannicke Mikkelsen, vehicle commander; Australia’s Eric Philips, vehicle pilot; and Germany’s Rabea Rogge, mission specialist. This will be the first spaceflight for each of the crewmembers.

Throughout the 3-to-5-day mission, the crew plans to observe Earth’s polar regions through Dragon’s cupola at an altitude of 425 – 450 km, leveraging insight from space physicists and citizen scientists to study unusual light emissions resembling auroras. The crew will study green fragments and mauve ribbons of continuous emissions comparable to the phenomenon known as STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), which has been measured at an altitude of approximately 400 - 500 km above Earth’s atmosphere. The crew will also work with SpaceX to conduct a variety of research to better understand the effects of spaceflight on the human body, which includes capturing the first human x-ray images in space, Just-in-Time training tools, and studying the effects of spaceflight on behavioral health, all of which will help in the development of tools needed to prepare humanity for future long-duration spaceflight.

Falcon 9 will launch Fram2 to a polar orbit from Florida no earlier than late 2024.

Source: SpaceX

Astronauts Will Soon Be Able to Perform Spacewalks Outside of SpaceX's Crew Dragon Capsule...

Polaris Program

The Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Suit (News Release - May 4)

In February 2022, Jared Isaacman and SpaceX announced the Polaris Program, an effort designed to rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities, while also supporting important causes here on Earth.

Polaris Dawn, the first of the program’s three human spaceflight missions, is targeted to launch to orbit no earlier than summer 2024. During the five-day mission, the crew will perform SpaceX’s first-ever Extravehicular Activity (more commonly known as an EVA or spacewalk) from Dragon, which will also be the first-ever commercial astronaut spacewalk.

This historic milestone will also be the first time that four astronauts will be exposed to the vacuum of space at the same time.

Supporting the crew throughout the spacewalk will be SpaceX’s newly-developed EVA suit, an evolution of the Intravehicular Activity (IVA) suit that crews currently wear aboard Dragon human spaceflight missions. Developed with mobility in mind, SpaceX teams incorporated new materials, fabrication processes and novel joint designs to provide greater flexibility to astronauts in pressurized scenarios while retaining comfort for unpressurized scenarios.

The 3D-printed helmet incorporates a new visor to reduce glare during the EVA in addition to the new Heads-Up Display (HUD) and camera that provide information on the suit’s pressure, temperature and relative humidity. The suit also incorporates enhancements for reliability and redundancy during a spacewalk, adding seals and pressure valves to help ensure that the suit remains pressurized and the crew remains safe.

All of these enhancements to the EVA suit are part of a scalable design, allowing teams to produce and scale to different body types as SpaceX seeks to create greater accessibility to space for all of humanity.

While Polaris Dawn will be the first time that the SpaceX EVA suit is used in low-Earth orbit, the suit’s ultimate destiny lies much farther from our home planet. Building a base on the Moon and a city on Mars will require the development of a scalable design for the millions of spacesuits required to help make life multiplanetary.

Source: SpaceX

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Polaris Program

Axiom Update #2: The Company Has Been Approved for Another Crewed Flight to the ISS...

NASA

NASA Selects Axiom Space for Third Private Astronaut Station Mission (Press Release - March 14)

NASA and Axiom Space have signed a mission order for the third private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch no earlier than November 2023 from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“The diversity of currently available commercial orbital human spaceflight opportunities is truly astounding. NASA’s commercial crew flights to the space station for our government astronauts paved the way for fully-private missions to space like Inspiration4 and Polaris as well as private astronaut missions to the orbiting laboratory like the one we are announcing today,” said Phil McAlister, director of commercial space at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We are starting to see the incorporation of space into our economic sphere, and it is going to revolutionize the way people see, use and experience space.”

Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) is expected to spend 14 days docked to the space station. A specific launch date is dependent on spacecraft traffic to the space station and in-orbit activity planning and constraints.

NASA and Axiom Space mission planners will coordinate in-orbit activities for the private astronauts to conduct in coordination with space station crew members and flight controllers on the ground.

“Axiom Space’s selection to lead the next private astronaut mission to the International Space Station enables us to continue expanding access to nations, academia, commercial entities and emerging industries to research, test and demonstrate new technologies in microgravity,” said Michael Suffredini, CEO and president of Axiom Space. “As NASA’s focus shifts back to the Moon and on to Mars, we are committed to transforming low-Earth orbit into a global space marketplace, where access to space moves beyond the partners of the space station to nations, institutions and individuals with new ideas fueling a thriving human economy beyond Earth.”

Axiom Space will submit four proposed crew members and two back up crew for the Ax-3 mission to the station’s Multilateral Crew Operations Panel for review. NASA is requiring all private astronaut mission providers to select a previously-flown NASA astronaut as the spacecraft commander.

Following review and approval from NASA and its international partners, the prime crew members for the mission will be named.

The Ax-3 crew members will train for their flight with NASA, international partners and SpaceX, which Axiom Space has contracted as launch provider for transportation to and from the space station and to familiarize the private astronauts with systems, procedures and emergency preparedness for the space station and the Dragon spacecraft. Based on current mission planning, team crew training is scheduled to begin this spring.

Axiom Space is obtaining NASA services to conduct the mission via both the mission specific order and Reimbursable Space Act Agreements.

Through the mission specific order, Axiom Space is obtaining services from NASA such as crew supplies, cargo delivery to space, storage and other in-orbit resources for daily use. The order also accommodates up to an additional contingency week aboard the space station.

This mission is subject to NASA’s pricing policy for the services the agency is providing to Axiom Space for in-orbit activities that are above space station baseline capabilities.

The order also identifies capabilities NASA may obtain from Axiom Space, including the return of scientific samples that must be kept cold in transit to and from Earth, return cargo capability and the capability to use the private astronaut mission commander’s time during the docked mission to complete NASA science or perform tasks for NASA.

Through Reimbursable Space Act Agreements, Axiom Space will reimburse NASA for services to enable the mission, such as training for crew members and use of facilities at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Kennedy Space Center in Florida. In addition, SpaceX has a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with Kennedy for launch services.

NASA made the selection for the third private astronaut mission from proposals received in response to its September 2022 NASA Research Announcement and evaluated the mission proposals based on the provider’s ability to execute a mission successfully, NASA’s ability to support the proposed mission, and the mission’s contribution to the agency’s goal of low-Earth orbit commercialization. NASA also solicited proposals for a fourth private astronaut mission opportunity in 2024 and will announce the mission after successful completion of negotiations results in an award.

For more than 22 years, NASA has supported a continuous U.S. human presence in low-Earth orbit. The agency's goal is a low-Earth orbit marketplace where NASA is one of many customers, and the private sector leads the way.

This strategy will provide services the government needs at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on its Artemis missions to the Moon and on to Mars while continuing to use low-Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions.

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Inspiration4's Jared Isaacman and His Next Crew Continue to Prep for Their Historic Flight Aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon This Year...

Polaris Program / John Kraus

Polaris Dawn Crew Participates in a Decompression Sickness Study at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (News Release - January 3)

The Polaris Dawn crew participated in a decompression sickness (DCS) study to characterize the risk of the planned Polaris Dawn decompression profile in the 20 Foot Chamber at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on December 18-20. The facility originally served as a platform for similar atmospheric modulation tests in the early 1970s ahead of NASA’s missions to Skylab, the United States’ first space station.

The risk of decompression sickness is lowered when the amount of nitrogen is reduced in one’s body. Current extravehicular activity (EVA) decompression models – such as those used on the International Space Station – achieve this during a long-duration 100% oxygen prebreathe exercise in an airlock.

The Dragon spacecraft, however, does not have an airlock, requiring the entire vehicle (including crewmembers) to decompress down to vacuum with a limited prebreathe. In anticipation of the mission’s EVA attempt, this study characterized DCS risk for Polaris Dawn and will help SpaceX develop a new decompression model for EVAs from Dragon.

Decompression sickness is more commonly known as “the bends” and is typically associated with scuba diving. When a rapid drop in air pressure occurs, nitrogen gas bubbles can form in the body and cause pain in the joints, damage skin, or create feelings of numbness, tingling in muscles, or physical fatigue.

With potential DCS symptoms being vague and individual susceptibility varying significantly, it was important that the crew got experience monitoring and reporting DCS symptoms, in addition to understanding the likelihood for DCS to occur during the actual EVA.

The crew lived in the chamber for just under two days, simulating the mission’s expected pressure and oxygen profiles to determine how likely it is for DCS symptoms to occur – if at all. Throughout the test, a team of medical professionals monitored the crew for symptoms, ready to intervene and provide immediate medical treatment if necessary.

In addition to characterizing DCS risk, the event allowed for the crew and teams to practice monitoring for and reporting EVA-related medical information over communication loops ahead of the mission’s actual spacewalk.

Source: Polaris Program

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Polaris Program


Polaris Program

A Crew Dragon Capsule May Be Responsible for Extending the Life of NASA's Greatest Space Observatory...

NASA

NASA, SpaceX to Study Hubble Telescope Reboost Possibility (News Release)

NASA and SpaceX signed an unfunded Space Act Agreement Thursday, September 22, to study the feasibility of a SpaceX and Polaris Program idea to boost the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope into a higher orbit with the Dragon spacecraft, at no cost to the government.

There are no plans for NASA to conduct or fund a servicing mission or compete this opportunity; the study is designed to help the agency understand the commercial possibilities.

SpaceX – in partnership with the Polaris Program – proposed this study to better understand the technical challenges associated with servicing missions. This study is non-exclusive, and other companies may propose similar studies with different rockets or spacecraft as their model.

Teams expect the study to take up to six months, collecting technical data from both Hubble and the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. This data will help determine whether it would be possible to safely rendezvous, dock and move the telescope into a more stable orbit.

“This study is an exciting example of the innovative approaches NASA is exploring through private-public partnerships,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “As our fleet grows, we want to explore a wide range of opportunities to support the most robust, superlative science missions possible.”

While Hubble and Dragon will serve as test models for this study, portions of the mission concept may be applicable to other spacecraft, particularly those in near-Earth orbit like Hubble.

Hubble has been operating since 1990, about 335 miles above Earth in an orbit that is slowly decaying over time. Reboosting Hubble into a higher, more stable orbit could add multiple years of operations to its life.

At the end of its lifetime, NASA plans to safely de-orbit or dispose of Hubble.

“SpaceX and the Polaris Program want to expand the boundaries of current technology and explore how commercial partnerships can creatively solve challenging, complex problems,” said Jessica Jensen, vice president of Customer Operations & Integration at SpaceX. “Missions such as servicing Hubble would help us expand space capabilities to ultimately help all of us achieve our goals of becoming a space-faring, multiplanetary civilization.”

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA

Live now: NASA and @SpaceX leaders discuss the possibility of working together to boost @NASAHubble into a more stable orbit. https://t.co/Q1r7c0XvQV

— NASA (@NASA) September 29, 2022

“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.” — @rookisaacmanhttps://t.co/hovfoUwDuU pic.twitter.com/vCtCtt2wRk

— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 29, 2022

It was an honor to represent @PolarisProgram on the announcement call today. Hopefully, this study leads us on path to enhance the capabilities & extend the life of the greatest exploration asset of all time. https://t.co/d2xuMI1cvF

— Jared Isaacman (@rookisaacman) September 29, 2022

Photos of the Day: My Autograph by An Inspiration4 Astronaut!

Today marks one year since the four-member crew of the Inspiration4 mission launched into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

To mark this occasion, here are snapshots of my copy of Wild Ride...a new memoir by Inspiration4's chief medical officer, Hayley Arceneaux!

I look forward to reading this autobiography and appreciating all the experiences that Arceneaux—a young bone cancer survivor and physician assistant at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital—went through as she began training for the Inspiration4 mission in early 2021, and then venturing to low-Earth orbit for 3 days via Crew Dragon Resilience last September.

As shown below, I was lucky enough to get Wild Ride autographed by the youngest astronaut to fly on an orbital space mission! Godspeed to Arceneaux, Inspiration4 commander Jared Isaacman (who will soon return to orbit on the Polaris Dawn mission), mission pilot Sian Proctor and mission specialist Christopher Sembroski on their future endeavors.

The Visionary Behind Inspiration4 Is About to Embark on Another Ambitious Project with SpaceX...

Polaris Program

Polaris Program will Undertake a Series of Pioneering SpaceX Dragon Missions, Demonstrating New Technologies and Culminating in the First Human Spaceflight on Starship (Press Release)

Led by tech entrepreneur and Inspiration4 commander Jared Isaacman, this program will advance deep space exploration while raising global awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.

LOS ANGELES, CA (February 14, 2022) – Today Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 (NYSE: FOUR), announced 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 here on Earth. 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.

The first mission, Polaris Dawn, is targeted for no earlier than the fourth quarter of this year and will be commanded by Isaacman, an accomplished pilot and astronaut who led Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit that helped raise over $240 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.

“The Polaris Program is an important step in advancing human space exploration while helping to solve problems through the use of innovative technology here on Earth,” said Isaacman. “On Polaris Dawn, we endeavor to achieve the highest Earth orbit ever flown in addition to conducting the world’s first commercial spacewalk and testing of Starlink laser-based communication. Alongside these important objectives, we will be supporting scientific research to advance both human health interests on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflights.” Building upon the Inspiration4 mission, Polaris Dawn will continue to raise funds and awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.

THE POLARIS DAWN MISSION

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Polaris Dawn mission from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew will spend up to five days in orbit, flying higher than any Dragon mission to date and endeavoring to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown.

While in orbit, SpaceX mission control will carefully monitor Dragon and the crew as they:

– Attempt the first-ever commercial spacewalk with SpaceX-designed extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits, upgraded from the current intravehicular (IVA) suit. The development of this suit and the execution of the EVA will be important steps toward a scalable design for spacesuits on future long-duration missions.

- Become the first crew to test Starlink laser-based communications in space, providing valuable data for future space communications systems necessary for human spaceflight to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

- Conduct scientific research designed to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflights. This includes, but is not limited to:

-- Using ultrasound to monitor, detect, and quantify venous gas emboli (VGE), contributing to studies on human prevalence to decompression sickness;
-- Gathering data on the radiation environment to better understand how space radiation affects human biological systems;
-- Providing biological samples toward multi-omics analyses for a long-term Biobank; and
-- Research related to Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS), which is a key risk to human health in long-duration spaceflight.

SpaceX and Polaris Dawn will also collaborate with the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado Boulder, Space Technologies Lab at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Weill Cornell Medicine, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

THE POLARIS DAWN CREW

The Polaris Dawn mission has many first-time objectives, so the Polaris Program chose a crew of experts who know each other well and have a foundation of trust they can build upon as they undertake the challenges of this mission. The crew includes:

MISSION COMMANDER, JARED “ROOK” ISAACMAN

In addition to commanding Inspiration4, Isaacman has over 7,000 flight hours of aviation experience, including ratings in multiple experimental and ex-military aircraft. He set speed-around-the-world records in 2008 and 2009, as well as 100 air show performances as a member of the Black Diamond Jet Team, all of which were dedicated to charitable causes. In 2011, Isaacman co-founded what would become the world’s largest private air force, Draken International, to provide realistic adversary training for the United States Department of Defense.

MISSION PILOT, SCOTT “KIDD” POTEET

Poteet is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel who served 20 years in various roles to include Commander of the 64th Aggressor Squadron, USAF Thunderbird Demonstration Pilot, #4 Slot, USAF Weapons School Graduate, Operational Test and Evaluation Pilot, and F-16 Flight Examiner. Kidd is a command pilot with over 3,200 flying hours in the F-16, A-4, T-38, T-37, T-3 and Alpha jet. He logged over 400 hours of combat time in support of various operations around the world. Following his Air Force career, Kidd served as the Director of Business Development at Draken International as well as the Vice President of Strategy at Shift4 Payments. He most recently served as the Mission Director of Inspiration4.

MISSION SPECIALIST, SARAH GILLIS

Gillis is a Lead Space Operations Engineer at SpaceX, responsible for overseeing the company’s astronaut training program. This includes the development of mission-specific curriculum and training execution for both NASA and commercial astronauts who fly aboard the Dragon spacecraft. She prepared NASA astronauts for the first Demo-2 and Crew-1 missions, and most recently directly trained the Inspiration4 astronauts, the first all-civilian crew to go to orbit. Sarah is an experienced mission control operator, who has supported real-time operations for Dragon’s cargo resupply missions to and from the International Space Station as a navigation officer, and as a crew communicator for Dragon’s human spaceflight missions.

MISSION SPECIALIST & MEDICAL OFFICER, ANNA MENON

Menon is a Lead Space Operations Engineer at SpaceX, where she manages the development of crew operations and serves in mission control as both a Mission Director and crew communicator. During her tenure at SpaceX, Menon has led the implementation of Dragon’s crew capabilities, helped create the crew communicator operator role, and developed critical operational responses to vehicle emergencies, such as a fire or cabin depressurization. Anna served in mission control during multiple cargo and crew Dragon missions, including Demo-2, Crew-1, CRS-22, and CRS-23. Prior to SpaceX, she worked for seven years at NASA as a biomedical flight controller for the International Space Station.

Source: Polaris Program

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Polaris Program