SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission reaches highest Earth orbit

SpaceX Dragon spacecraft has led the Polaris Dawn mission to the highest Earth orbit at 1,400 km. As of today, it is the farthest humans have ever traveled since the Apollo program.

The rocket maker has shared a video clip of the spacecraft roaming over Earth with a mesmerizing view.

A few hours ago, the company conducted an apogee-raising burn, which lasted about eight minutes. After completing this action, the pod reached an altitude of 1,400 km.

Early morning, a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft carried four Polaris Dawn mission crewmates including Mission Commander Jared Isaacman, Pilot Kidd Poteet, Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Medical Officer Anna Menon.

This is a multi-day mission to space and has numerous objectives.

The first objective from the list is now completed, which is to reach the highest Earth orbit. Now, the crew will rest and prepare for the next major milestone. Then, it will perform the first-ever extravehicular activity by commercial astronauts wearing SpaceX-made EVA suits.

The team has 36 scientific research and studies to improve human health on Earth and in long-term space travel. There’s also an onboard Starlink modem installed on the spacecraft to check laser-based communication in space.

Check Polaris Dawn’s Earth view linked below.