Launch Roundup: Polaris Dawn aims high, Starlink launches continue

A total of five flights are on the worldwide launch manifest for this week. Most notable is the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 with the Polaris Dawn mission. A modified Crew Dragon capsule will carry four astronauts into the highest orbit a crewed mission has flown in since the Gemini missions.

In addition to the launch of Polaris Dawn, SpaceX will launch three Starlink missions, with China also scheduled to launch a Long March 7A rocket.

SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 10-5

The first of three Starlink launches for the week is scheduled for the very end of a four-hour launch window on Tuesday, Aug. 20, at 9:20 AM EDT (13:20 UTC). The window spans from 5:20 AM to 9:20 AM EDT (09:20 to 13:20 UTC), and launch is set to occur from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida.

Falcon 9 will launch 22 Starlink v2 Mini satellites into a 53-degree inclination orbit on a northeasterly trajectory out of Florida. The booster for this mission, B1085, is expected to land at sea on SpaceX’s autonomous droneship A Shortfall Of Gravitas.

Booster B1085 will be making its maiden flight. Having suffered water ingress during transportation back to Florida from the McGregor test facility, the booster had to be fully dried out, and was recently static fired on the pad to ensure that there were no ill-effects.

As Tropical Storm Ernesto moves over the northern Atlantic Ocean, it may cause rough seas that hinder SpaceX’s recovery operations, possibly bringing high waves beyond the acceptable limit for a Falcon 9 landing.

A total of 6,895 Starlink satellites have been launched thus far, of which 559 have re-entered, leaving 6,336 in orbit.

A previous Long March 7A launch in June 2024. (Credit: CASC)

CASC Long March 7A | Unknown Payload

A Long March 7A is expected to launch from Launch Complex 201 at the Wenchang Space Launch Site in China on Thursday, Aug. 22, at 12:25 UTC. There are no details available regarding the payload, but the launch-related hazard notices indicate an easterly trajectory for this mission.

The Long March 7A is a three stage rocket with four strap-on solid rocket motors. This will be the third Long March 7A launch of 2024.

SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 8-6

Another Falcon 9 will lift another batch of Starlink satellites on Saturday, Aug. 24, between 3:23 AM and 7:23 AM EDT (07:23 and 11:23 UTC) from SLC-40 at CCSFS.

Neither a recovery vessel nor booster has been announced for this mission.

SpaceX Falcon 9 | Starlink Group 9-5

SpaceX’s launch operations will briefly switch coasts to California for the launch of the Starlink Group 9-5 mission. Launch is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 23, during a four-hour launch window that lasts from 1:00 AM to 5:00 AM PDT (08:00 to 12:00 UTC). This mission will launch from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The booster for this mission has not yet been announced. SpaceX’s west coast droneship, Of Course I Still Love You, will support this mission and will be stationed several kilometers downrange for the booster’s landing.

SpaceX Falcon 9 | Polaris Dawn

The much-anticipated Polaris Dawn mission is scheduled to launch on Monday, Aug. 26, from historic Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch is expected to occur sometime during a launch window that spans from 3:38 AM to 7:00 AM EDT (07:38 to 11:00 UTC).

Falcon 9 booster B1083 will launch Crew Dragon C207 Resilience on its third flight, with Resilience having previously flown the NASA Crew-1 and Inspiration4 missions. After separating from the second stage, B1083 will land on one of SpaceX’s autonomous droneships, most likely Just Read The Instructions.

Falcon 9 will fly a northeasterly trajectory in an attempt to place the Polaris Dawn crew in the highest Earth orbit ever achieved by a crewed flight — an orbit with an apogee of 1,400 km. The current record of 1,373 km was set back in 1966 by the crew of Gemini 11. The Polaris Dawn astronauts will conduct medical research into the possible effects of this extreme altitude on the human body.

Polaris Dawn’s commander is Jared “Rook” Isaacman, who previously commanded the Inspiration4 mission in 2021. Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a long-time friend and business partner of Isaacman, will be the mission pilot. Poteet served as the mission director for Inspiration4. Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon will serve as Polaris Dawn’s mission specialists, with Menon also serving as the medical officer. Both Gillis and Menon are SpaceX engineers who have played key roles in astronaut training and mission control operations.

The Polaris Dawn crew has completed training and is certified for spaceflight headed to Florida this weekend for launch, slated for no earlier than August 26 pic.twitter.com/asZVo4waMt

— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) August 16, 2024

Resilience has been modified for one of the mission’s primary goals: to complete the first extravehicular activity (EVA) by commercial astronauts. At an orbital altitude of 700 km, the crew will don newly-designed EVA spacesuits, and Resilience will be depressurized. Isaacman and Gillis will then exit the vehicle through the modified top hatch and perform a tethered spacewalk while Poteet and Menon stay inside Resilience.

Another mission goal is to be the first to test the Starlink constellation’s laser communications systems in space. Furthermore, medical research will be performed regarding decompression sickness, radiation exposure in high orbit, and Spaceflight-Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS).

The mission is expected to last up to five days, after which Resilience will deorbit and perform a controlled splashdown. SpaceX Dragon recovery vessel Shannon, which sailed from Port Canaveral to the Gulf of Mexico on August 16, will support recovery.

Polaris Dawn is the first in a series of Polaris missions planned in collaboration with SpaceX. Subsequent missions will include the first crewed Starship flight.

Polaris Dawn will be the 84th Falcon 9 mission of 2024. Booster B1083 will be flying for the fourth time, having previously launched Crew-8, Starlink Group 6-48, and Starlink Group 6-56. A relatively new booster, its first flight was on March 4, 2024.

(Lead image: Streak shot of a Falcon 9 launch. Credit: Julia Bergeron for NSF)

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