Elon Musk’s company has changed the launch date of the Polaris Dawn mission, which was previously scheduled for July 31. The mission has now been moved to mid-August this year. The main reason for the delay is related to the priority launch of the Crew-9 mission to the ISS, which was scheduled for August 18.

The five-day Polaris Dawn mission plan calls for the Crew Dragon spacecraft, carrying four people, to enter an orbit with an apogee of 1,400 kilometers, breaking the altitude record set by the Gemini 11 mission in 1966. It is a much greater distance of 1,372 kilometers, but it is within the limits of flights to the Moon rather than Earth orbit.)

Additionally, after depressurizing the capsule, astronauts will step out of the confines of the Crew Dragon, experience SpaceX’s new spacesuits, and then return. Expedition participants will conduct a range of scientific experiments, including research into the effects of spaceflight and cosmic radiation on human health, as well as testing Starlink laser communications for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

Polaris Dawn will be the first of three missions in the Polaris program. In addition to the billionaire and initiator of the expedition Isaacman, who already flew into space during the Inspiration4 mission in September 2021, the participants include retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet (pilot) and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.