SpaceX Launches Polaris Dawn Into Orbit: What to Know About the Mission

An unprecedented space mission lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, early Tuesday. Dubbed Polaris Dawn, the first-of-its-kind mission used a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to launch a Crew Dragon capsule containing four private astronauts for a five-day orbit.

The mission is a follow-up of sorts to a 2021 private mission called Inspiration4. It was also backed by billionaire Jared Isaacman, the founder and chief executive of the data company Shift4. Polaris Dawn has been in the works for several years; at one point, there was talk of sending a crew to boost the life of the Hubble space telescope. 

This new mission isn't that. Instead, the crew will attempt the first spacewalk of private astronauts, using spacesuit technology developed by SpaceX. They will ...