SpaceX’s highly anticipated Polaris Dawn mission has been delayed by at least 24 hours due to a helium leak, The Hill reports, citing the company.
The launch, originally scheduled for early Tuesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is now set to occur no earlier than Wednesday.
“Teams are taking a closer look at a ground-side helium leak on the Quick Disconnect umbilical,” SpaceX said on X. “Falcon and Dragon remain healthy, and the crew continues to be ready for their multi-day mission to low-Earth orbit.”
The Polaris Dawn crew is composed of four private citizens, including retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet, SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, and billionaire adventurer Jared Isaacman. Isaacman previously chartered the first commercial flight to orbit aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon in 2021.
“We’re officially scrubbed for today, but the @SpaceX team is doing awesome work to ensure all systems are 100% ready for launch!” Gillis said.
The Polaris Dawn mission is the first of three planned missions under the Polaris Program, a human spaceflight initiative funded by Isaacman. The crew is expected to spend up to five days in orbit, with aims to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown and conduct a spacewalk.
The historical spacewalk, scheduled for the third day of the mission, will involve two crew members exiting the Crew Dragon spacecraft on a tether while wearing newly designed suits, approximately 700 kilometers above Earth.
According to the program’s website, Polaris Dawn is “designed to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflights.” The mission will utilize ultrasound technology to detect “venous gas emboli” and gather critical data on the effects of space radiation on biological systems.
Additionally, this mission will mark the first attempt to test Starlink laser-based communications in space, contributing to the ongoing advancement of space technology.
