SpaceX has revealed its groundbreaking Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Suits designed for the upcoming Polaris Dawn mission, scheduled for later this Summer. This mission marks the historic occasion of a commercial astronaut crew conducting a spacewalk for the first time.
These innovative EVA suits, based on SpaceX’s existing Intravehicular Activity suits worn by Crew Dragon astronauts during launches, feature cutting-edge enhancements. Notably, they boast a new visor designed to minimize glare during spacewalks, alongside a heads-up display showcasing vital information such as temperatures and pressures.
Moreover, SpaceX has incorporated advanced “thermal management textiles” and utilized materials sourced from the Falcon 9 interstage and Dragon’s trunk to enhance the suits’ performance and durability.
The Polaris Dawn crew, comprised of Commander Jared Isaacman, Pilot Scott Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist/Medical Officer Anna Menon, will embark on this historic spacewalk approximately 700 kilometers above Earth.
This mission represents the farthest humans have ventured into space since the last Space Shuttle crew maintained the Hubble Space Telescope.
During the spacewalk, all four astronauts will simultaneously experience the vacuum of space, marking a historic moment with the highest number of astronauts exposed to space at once.
The Polaris Dawn mission will also feature the first time Starlink is used by a crew in space to test communications and data relays. These tests could eventually lead to Starlink satellites providing communications to crews on the Moon and beyond in the future.
This mission is just the first three currently planned and will culminate in a launch aboard Starship when it is flying regularly and safely.
Are you looking forward to the Polaris Dawn mission this summer? How do you think SpaceX will evolve these EVA suits even further for uses on the Moon and potentially Mars in the far future?
Credit: Richard Angle Via Teslarati
