Polaris Dawn mission set to launch early Friday morning after delays

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ORLANDO, Fla. - The Polaris Dawn mission is scheduled to launch on Friday after weather delayed last week's initial attempt. All SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets were subsequently grounded following a booster fire during a landing.

Polaris Dawn is a private mission that includes civilian spacewalks. The launch window opens at 3:33 a.m. on Friday. 

Officials say the crew will spend up to five days in orbit, working towards the following objectives: high altitude, a visit to a commercial spacewalk, in-space communications, and health impact research. 

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"This Dragon mission will take advantage of Falcon 9 and Dragon’s maximum performance, flying higher than any Dragon mission to date and endeavoring to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown," Polaris Dawn said. "Orbiting through portions of the Van Allen radiation belt, Polaris Dawn will conduct research with the aim of better understanding the effects of spaceflight and space radiation on human health."

The crew will try the first commercial spacewalk using SpaceX's specially designed EVA spacesuit. Creating a base on the Moon and a city on Mars will need thousands of spacesuits, so developing this suit and performing the EVA are crucial steps toward a scalable design for future long-term missions.

The Polaris Dawn crew will also be the first to test Starlink's laser communication system in space, collecting crucial data for future lunar, Mars, and deep space missions.