Hours before the Crew Dragon capsule is supposed to lift off, SpaceX announced on Tuesday that a helium leak in ground equipment at Kennedy Space Centre would delay the launch of its four-person Polaris Dawn mission by at least one day. The crew’s 20-minute spacewalk, which will be the first private spacewalk in history, will take place two days after launch, 434 miles (700 km) from Earth. This will undoubtedly be the high point of the five-day mission. According to a post on X, the company now plans to launch the spacecraft on Wednesday at 3:38 am (0738 GMT) aboard a Falcon 9 booster.
The post on Tuesday also stated, “Teams are looking into a ground-side helium leak more closely.” “Falcon and Dragon remain healthy and the crew continues to be ready for their multi-day mission to low-Earth orbit.” So far, only government astronauts have conducted spacewalks; the most recent ones were carried out by ISC residents, who don spacesuits on a regular basis to conduct inspections and other maintenance on their orbiting residence.
Similar to the plan for Polaris Dawn, the first US spacewalk took place in 1965 aboard a Gemini capsule. The hatch opened, the capsule was depressurised, and an astronaut wearing a spacesuit went outside using a tether. During the spacewalk, the crew of Polaris Dawn will be testing SpaceX’s new, slimline spacesuits. Out of the four individuals, only two – Jared Isaacman, the billionaire; Scott Poteet, a retired lieutenant colonel from the US Air Force; and Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, two senior engineers working for SpaceX – will depart from the spacecraft.
Also Read:
After Seven Rounds of UAE-led Mediation Between Russia and Ukraine, 230 Prisoners were Released
According to Sullivan, the US is still Pursuing a Ceasefire Agreement for Gaza in Cairo
