The crew of the Polaris Dawn mission is set to perform a spacewalk at an unprecedented altitude of 700 km above Earth, significantly higher than the orbit of the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits between 370 and 460 km from the planet’s surface. Earlier in the mission, the Polaris Dawn crew reached an altitude three times farther from Earth than the ISS, marking a new milestone in human space exploration.
In a statement, SpaceX confirmed: “Dragon is performing the spacewalk in an elliptical orbit of ~190 x 700 km today, after reaching a maximum altitude of 1,408.1 km on day two of the mission, breaking the Earth-orbit record set by Gemini 11 over 50 years ago when that spacecraft reached 1,373 km.”
Also Read: Soyuz MS-26 Docking Marks Key Milestone in Space Collaboration Between NASA and Roscosmos
This achievement by the Polaris Dawn mission represents a significant leap in spaceflight capabilities, pushing the boundaries of human exploration beyond the previous records set in the 1960s.
Key Points:
- Record-Breaking Spacewalk: Polaris Dawn crew to conduct a spacewalk at an altitude of 700 km, significantly higher than the ISS orbit (370–460 km).
- Historic Altitude Achievement: Earlier in the mission, the crew reached an altitude three times farther from Earth than the ISS.
- SpaceX Milestone: The Dragon spacecraft reached a maximum altitude of 1,408.1 km, breaking the 50-year-old Earth orbit record set by Gemini 11 (1,373 km).
- Elliptical Orbit: The spacewalk will occur in an elliptical orbit of ~190 x 700 km, showcasing advanced spaceflight capabilities.
- Advancing Space Exploration: The Polaris Dawn mission pushes the boundaries of human space exploration, surpassing records set in the 1960s.
