Polaris Dawn Spacewalk Delayed

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The highly anticipated spacewalk for the private "Polaris Dawn" mission has been postponed. Originally scheduled for 8:23 a.m. MESZ, the spacewalk was first delayed to noon, then further rescheduled to 3:30 p.m. MESZ. SpaceX has not provided specific reasons for the delay.

Led by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, the Polaris Dawn mission aims to conduct the first commercial spacewalk, a significant step for private space exploration. Unlike traditional spacewalks on the ISS, where astronauts float freely, Isaacman and SpaceX employee Sarah Gillis will remain tethered to a ladder-like structure using foot restraints for the entire 20-minute activity.

Launched from Cape Canaveral aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, the mission has already achieved remarkable milestones. On Tuesday night, the crew reached a record altitude of 1,400 kilometers above Earth, the farthest distance humans have traveled since NASA's Apollo missions to the Moon in the 1970s. For comparison, the International Space Station (ISS) orbits at roughly 400 kilometers.

The Polaris Dawn mission, expected to last up to five days, includes Isaacman, Gillis, former jet pilot Kidd Poteet, and SpaceX employee Anna Menon. They are conducting various experiments, including studies on the effects of spaceflight and radiation on human health, while also testing SpaceX's new spacesuits.