'1,400 km above Earth': Elon Musk breaks NASA's record as Resilience spacecraft reaches new orbital height
Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Manoj Kumar
Record Altitude
The Polaris Dawn mission, aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft "Resilience," reached a new orbital height of 870 miles (1,400.7 kilometres) on September 10, 2024, surpassing previous records held by NASA's Gemini 11 mission from 1966.
Credit: SpaceX
Higher Than Space Shuttle
The crew’s altitude more than doubled the height NASA's space shuttle reached while deploying the Hubble Space Telescope in 1990 and exceeded the Gemini 11 record of 853 miles (1,373 kilometres).
Crew Composition
The four members of Polaris Dawn include commander Jared Isaacman, pilot Scott Poteet, and mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. Gillis and Menon set the record as the women who have travelled the farthest from Earth.
Scientific Purpose Beyond Records
The mission’s primary goal was to gather data on how the space environment, including radiation and micrometeorite exposure, impacts spacecraft systems and human health during long-duration space missions.
Van Allen Belt Passage
Resilience passed through parts of the Van Allen radiation belt to collect scientific data, a key step in understanding the conditions future missions will encounter while traveling farther into the solar system.
Credit: SpaceX
SpaceX Systems and Technology Testing
The mission also tested SpaceX’s spacecraft technology, including touchscreens and other modern systems, under the high-radiation conditions of deep space for future missions.
Limited Time at High Altitude
The spacecraft remained at the record-setting altitude for about 10 hours, the minimum time needed for data collection, before lowering to a safer orbit of 118 by 435 miles (190 by 700 kilometres).
Credit: SpaceX
Historic Spacewalk Planned
The crew is also set to conduct a spacewalk, marking the first extravehicular activity by a commercial crew in space, as part of their mission objectives.
Tribute to Gemini 11
In honour of the Gemini 11 mission, the Polaris Dawn crew carried a medallion designed to resemble the Gemini 11 mission patch, connecting the two historic flights over half a century apart.