Now helium leak hits SpaceX, first commercial spacewalk mission, Polaris Dawn, postponed by one day
The SpaceX mission, called Polaris Dawn, was scheduled for a Tuesday morning launch but was scrubbed to check a ground-side helium leak. The next launch window is no earlier than Wednesday, August 28.
Elon Musk-owned space exploration company, SpaceX, which was recently tasked by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to rescue two stranded astronauts, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, after the Boeing Starliner that took them to space encountered technical difficulties, is now dealing with issues of their own.
CREDIT: REUTERS
What happened to Polaris Dawn
SpaceX, which was scheduled to launch a rocket carrying four private astronauts to space for the world¡¯s first commercial spacewalk, has delayed the mission by one day due to a helium leak, the same issue that has plagued Boeing's Starliner capsule.
When will Polaris Dawn launch
The SpaceX mission, called Polaris Dawn, was scheduled for a Tuesday morning launch but was scrubbed to check a ground-side helium leak. The next launch window is no earlier than Wednesday, August 28.
CREDIT: REUTERS
"Teams are taking a closer look at a ground-side helium leak," SpaceX said in an X post. "Falcon and Dragon remain healthy, and the crew continues to be ready for their multi-day mission to low-Earth orbit."
Mission objective of Polaris Dawn
Riding atop a Falcon 9 rocket, the SpaceX Dragon capsule is set to reach a peak altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) -- higher than any crewed mission in over half a century, since the Apollo era.
All systems are looking good for tomorrow¡¯s Falcon 9 launch of Polaris Dawn. Webcast will go live ~3.5 hours ahead of liftoff on Tuesday, August 27 ¡ú https://t.co/WpSw0gzeT0 pic.twitter.com/81xlzKZ9VV
¡ª SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 26, 2024
Mission commander Isaacman will guide his four-member team through the mission's centerpiece: the first-ever commercial spacewalk, equipped with sleek, newly developed SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) suits.
Rounding out the team are mission pilot Scott Poteet, a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel; mission specialist Sarah Gillis, a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX; and mission specialist and medical officer Anna Menon, also a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX.
More photos from Polaris Dawn and SpaceX¡¯s full rehearsal of launch day activities ¡ú https://t.co/zktZ1R453H pic.twitter.com/0yHIya7fJP
¡ª Polaris (@PolarisProgram) August 25, 2024
NASA picks SpaceX to bring back Starliner crew
The development comes days after NASA decided that it was too risky to bring two astronauts, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, back to Earth in Boeing's troubled new capsule. Instead, the duo will be brought back from the ISS on a SpaceX capsule in February.
CREDIT: REUTERS
What happened to Starliner
The duo, who were Starliner's test pilots, went for an 8-day mission to the ISS but have been stranded there ever since due to helium leaks and the failure of four of its thrusters.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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