SpaceX has launched a mission that will not only see humans travel the farthest away from Earth since Apollo 17 in 1972 but also conduct the first-ever commercial spacewalk.
This is in addition to nearly 40 different science experiments and an attempt to transmit data from space through the Starlink network.
The Polaris Dawn mission, consisting of four private citizen crew members, lifted off on a five-day mission on Sept. 10 at 5:23 AM EDT (09:23 UTC) from LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
An attempt on Aug. 27 was scrubbed due to a “ground-side helium leak on the Quick Disconnect umbilical,” SpaceX said in a post on X. Since then, unfavorable weather at the splashdown zones upon completion of the mission had led to further delays. An attempt earlier in the morning was passed over due to launch weather conditions.