SpaceX announced on Tuesday that the launch of its four-person Polaris Dawn mission would be postponed by at least one day due to a helium leak in ground equipment at Kennedy Space Center. This delay occurred just hours before the scheduled liftoff of the Crew Dragon capsule. The mission, set to last five days, is anticipated to feature a significant event two days after launch: a 20-minute spacewalk at an altitude of 700km, marking the first private spacewalk in history. SpaceX now plans to launch the spacecraft, supported by a Falcon 9 booster, at 3:38 am (0738 GMT) on Wednesday, according to a post on X. The post also mentioned that "Teams are taking a closer look at a ground-side helium leak." It reassured that "Falcon and Dragon remain healthy and the crew continues to be ready for their multi-day mission to low-Earth orbit."
Historically, only government astronauts have conducted spacewalks, with the most recent being those at the International Space Station who routinely wear spacesuits for maintenance and checks. The first US spacewalk took place in 1965 aboard a Gemini capsule, utilizing a procedure similar to what is planned for Polaris Dawn: the capsule was depressurized, the hatch opened, and an astronaut in a spacesuit ventured outside on a tether. During the spacewalk, the Polaris Dawn crew will test SpaceX's new, streamlined spacesuits. Only two of the four crew members—billionaire Jared Isaacman, mission pilot Scott Poteet, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel, and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both senior engineers—will exit the spacecraft. Isaacman, the founder of electronic payment company Shift4, funded the mission; he has not disclosed the cost but estimates suggest it exceeds $100 million.
