The first ever Polaris mission, a private astronaut mission, has been rescheduled for April 2021. The mission, which was originally planned to launch in late 2019, has been delayed by a year and a half but promises to be a historic moment as the first civilian space mission.
The mission, organized by the private spaceflight company Space Adventures, is part of a larger effort to make spaceflight more accessible and affordable to everyone. The mission plans to take four people, two from Space Adventures and two from the public, on a suborbital flight to space, an experience that has only been possible for astronauts and rich people in the past.
The flight is being sponsored by the United Launch Alliance, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, which will provide the Atlas V rocket that will power the mission. The rocket is expected to take the passengers to an altitude of approximately 90 kilometers, where they will experience a few minutes of weightlessness, and will be the basis for a commercial spaceflight experience.
The mission will be conducted in three stages: the first stage, which will be used to lift the rocket into orbit, is already complete, and the second stage will begin soon. The final stage of the mission, which includes the flight to space, will begin in April 2021.
The mission is made possible by advances in space technology and private space exploration. With companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin successfully launching reusable rockets, and the costs of launching payloads into space steadily falling, the possibility of private space exploration has become more realistic.
The Polaris mission will also serve as a proof of concept for future missions. If successful, it will open up the possibility of more commercial flights in the future and could even lead to space tourism.
The mission is an important milestone for the private space industry, and for the future of space exploration. The mission may be delayed, but the excitement for Polaris’s historic first flight continues to grow. With its goal to make space exploration more accessible to everyone, the Polaris mission offers a glimpse of what the future of space travel could hold, and is an inspiring example of the power of technology and innovation.
