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Credit: Polaris Program via X
SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission will launch American billionaire Jared Isaacman and three others on a five-day flight to attempt the world's first private spacewalk. The mission is the first of three Polaris Program spaceflights with SpaceX, and the second personally financed by Isaacman.
The Polaris Dawn mission is scheduled to launch on Aug. 26 at 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT) during a four-hour launch window. It will fly on a Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon capsule Resilience, making its third flight. Isaacman will serve as mission commander; with US Air Force Lt. Col (retired) Scott "Kidd" Poteet as pilot; Sarah Gillis, SpaceX lead space operations engineer for astronaut training, as mission specialist; and Anna Menon, SpaceX lead operations engineer for crew operations development, as mission specialist and medical officer.
SpaceX | Polaris Program | Crew Dragon | Falcon 9 rocket
Polaris Dawn crew 1 week from launch
Four private astronauts of Polaris Dawn pose for photos in front of jet plane
The four private astronauts of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission are a week away from launch after two years of training for a mission that, they hope, will include the world's first private spacewalk.
American billionaire Jared Isaacman, who previously backed his private Inspiration4 spaceflight with SpaceX, will command the Polaris Dawn mission, the first of three new spaceflights he's purchased from SpaceX.
Isaacman, pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both Lead Space Operations Engineers at SpaceX, arrived at their launch site at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Aug. 19. Liftoff is set for Aug. 26 at 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT).
The mission, announced in 2022, will test new spacesuits for SpaceX during a planned 2-hour spacewalk during the five-day mission. On Aug. 19, the crew spoke with reporters about their upcoming mission.
Read all about it in our wrap story here from Space.com's Josh Dinner.
Doritos heads to space with Polaris Dawn
Polaris Dawn crew members with Doritos Cool Ranch Zero Gravity canisters. From left to right: commander Jared Isaacman, mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon and pilot Scott
The Polaris Dawn will have some brand new snacks in space when they launch on SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience on Aug. 26.
Doritos is flying a brand-new type of safe-for-space Zero Gravity Cool Ranch Doritos chips during the private spaceflight. The limited-edition flavor is available for sale online and contains an oil-based coating to keep Doritos' classic powdered topping from floating away in weightlessness.
"The limitless possibilities of space inspired us to push the boundaries of what's possible," said Chris Bellinger, chief creative officer of PepsiCo Foods North America, in a statement. "This mission is a testament to our commitment to delivering bold experiences and flavors, even in the most unexpected places."
You can read more about the new space Doritos in our full story by Robert Pearlman of collectSPACE.com.
The Doritos chips flying on Polaris Dawn are packaged in special tins that are among the patches, pins and other prizes that will be awarded to those who donate to St. Jude's.
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