The highly anticipated SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, carrying a four-person crew, is facing a delay due to a helium leak in ground equipment at Kennedy Space Center. The launch of the Crew Dragon capsule was scheduled for Tuesday but has been postponed for at least a day.
The mission’s main highlight is set to happen two days post-launch, with the crew embarking on a historic 20-minute spacewalk 700 kilometers above Earth. This will be the first private spacewalk in history.
SpaceX now plans to launch the spacecraft using a Falcon 9 booster at 3:38 a.m. local time on Wednesday. The company assured that both the Falcon and Dragon are in good condition, and the crew is fully prepared for their journey to low-Earth orbit.
During the spacewalk, the crew will test SpaceX’s new slimline spacesuits, with only two members venturing outside the spacecraft. The mission’s funding is provided by billionaire Jared Isaacman, the founder of Shift4, with an estimated cost exceeding $100 million.
[ad_2]
Source link