SpaceX’s highly anticipated Polaris Dawn mission encountered a setback on Monday, with the launch delayed by at least 24 hours due to a helium leak. The mission, which was set to launch early Tuesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will now be rescheduled for no sooner than Wednesday.
The company reported on X that, “Teams are investigating a helium leak on the Quick Disconnect umbilical.” They assured that “Falcon and Dragon remain in good condition, and the crew is still prepared for their multi-day mission to low-Earth orbit.”
SpaceX delays Polaris Dawn mission to fix helium leak with plans for rescheduled launch
The mission’s crew includes retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet, SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, and Jared Isaacman, the billionaire who organized the first commercial orbital flight with SpaceX in 2021. Gillis updated the situation on X, stating, “We’re officially scrubbed for today, but the @SpaceX team is doing great work to ensure all systems are 100% ready for launch!”
Polaris Dawn represents the first of three missions under the Polaris Program, a human spaceflight initiative funded by Isaacman. During this inaugural mission, the crew aims to spend up to five days in orbit, with plans to achieve the highest Earth orbit ever and perform a spacewalk.
Scheduled for the third day, the spacewalk will see two crew members donning newly designed suits to exit the Crew Dragon spacecraft while approximately 700 kilometers above Earth, as reported by NBC News.
The mission aims to enhance understanding of human health both on Earth and during extended spaceflights, including the use of ultrasound to detect “venous gas emboli” and studying the impacts of space radiation on biological systems. Additionally, it will be the first to test Starlink’s laser-based communications in space.
