What time does SpaceX's Polaris Dawn private spacewalk mission launch?

Update for Sept. 10: SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn mission successfully launched into orbit at 5:23 a.m. EDT (0923 GMT) on a five-day mission to attempt the first-ever commercial spacewalk. Read our full story and see launch video. Follow our Polaris Dawn live updates for the latest on the mission.


A SpaceX rocket will launch four people into space on the private Polaris Dawn mission this week and if you want to watch the liftoff live, you'll need to know when and where to watch. And in this case, it might help to be an early bird. 

The Polaris Dawn mission, a commercial spaceflight backed by American billionaire Jared Isaacman that will attempt the first private spacewalk, is currently scheduled to launch on Tuesday, Sept. 10, on a Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon capsule Resilience. Liftoff is scheduled for 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT) from Florida's Cape Canaveral.

Here's a look at what time Polaris Dawn will fly, how to watch live online, who's on board and how long the mission will last.

What time is SpaceX's Polaris Dawn launch?

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn Falcon 9 rocket stands on the launch pad in stunning twilight. (Image credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX is currently targeting 3:38 a.m. EDT (0738 GMT) on Tuesday to launch the Polaris Dawn mission, but does have a four-hour window in which to fly. But that doesn't mean the launch could occur anytime between 3:38 a.m. EDT and 7:38 a.m. EDT (1138 GMT). Instead, SpaceX has now said it has two additional times during that window in which to launch. Those times are 5:23 a.m. EDT (0923 GMT) and 7:09 a.m. EDT (1109 GMT), the company wrote in a mission overview.

Polaris Dawn will liftoff from SpaceX's pad at Launch Complex 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. 

SpaceX rolled the Dragon spacecraft and its Falcon 9 rocket on the pad on Aug. 24, and conducted a static fire of the Falcon 9's first-stage engines a day later. The Polaris Dawn crew, meanwhile, performed a dress rehearsal for launch day on Aug. 25. Three launch opportunities were then delayed due to weather concerns.

Can I watch SpaceX's Polaris Dawn launch online?

Replay! SpaceX launches Polaris Dawn spacewalk mission - Full broadcast - YouTube Replay! SpaceX launches Polaris Dawn spacewalk mission - Full broadcast - YouTube
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Yes, you can watch SpaceX's Polaris Dawn launch live online. SpaceX will provide a live webcast on its X channel (formerly Twitter), starting about 3.5 hours before liftoff.

Since SpaceX has scheduled the launch for 3:38 a.m. EDT, the livestream should begin shortly after 12 a.m. EDT (0400 GMT). You can also watch the livestream at the top of this page, as well as on Space.com's YouTube channel, which will simulcast the launch.

Who is flying on SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission?

The four astronauts of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission pose in spacesuits while rehearsing launch. They are: (from left) Anna Menon, Scott "Kidd" Poteet," Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis. (Image credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission will launch four private astronauts to space on a commercial flight financed by billionaire Jared Isaacman, who has already flown in orbit once with SpaceX in 2021's Inspiration4 mission. Here's a look at who's joining him on the mission. For a more in-depth look at the astronauts, check out our meet the Polaris Dawn crew story.

  • Jared Isaacman:  Isaacman is the financier of the Polaris Dawn and serves as the commander of the mission. The entrepreneur made his fortune as founder and CEO of Shift4Payments, a payment processing company. After Inspiration4, Isaacman purchased three more flights from SpaceX under his Polaris Program. Polaris Dawn is the first of those flights. He has logged over 6,000 hours flying high performance aircraft. 
  • Scott "Kidd" Poteet:  Poteet is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and serves as the pilot of the Polaris Dawn mission. Polaris Dawn will be his first trip to space. He has logged over 3,200 hours flying jet aircraft and spent 20 years in the Air Force. He has previously served as director of business development at Draken International (a company Isaacman once owned, vice-president of strategy at Shift4 and was the mission director of Inspiration4.
  • Sarah Gillis: Gillis is a mission specialist on Polaris Dawn and is SpaceX's lead space operations engineer in charge of astronaut training. She was the mission trainer for Isaacman's Inspiration4 flight. Gillis joined SpaceX as an intern in 2015 and studied aerospace engineering and dance at the University of Colorado, Boulder. 
  • Anna Menon:  Menon is a mission specialist and chief medical officer of the Polaris Dawn crew. She is also SpaceX's lead operations engineer for crew operations development, and has served as a flight controller for the company's Demo-2 nd Crew-1 flights. Prior to joining SpaceX, Menon was a biomedical flight controller for the International Space Station, worked with Engineers Without Borders and is a private pilot. In addition to her Polaris Dawn duties, Menon also wrote a children's book "Kisses from Space" with Keri Vesak, which she will read from space. Proceeds from the book will help support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Kisses from Space by Anna Menon, Keri Vesak$19.99
was $19.99 now $15.99 at Amazon US

Kisses from Space by Anna Menon, Keri Vesak, $19.99 now $15.99 at Amazon.

SpaceX lead operations engineer Anna Menon's Kisses From Space, published by Random House, will fly to space with Menon on the Polaris Dawn mission. Proceeds from the book will help support St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

How long is SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission

A schematic of SpaceX's Polaris Dawn launch events. (Image credit: SpaceX)

From liftoff to Falcon 9 booster landing, SpaceX's Polaris Dawn launch should last about 8.5 minutes, but the actual flight will last much longer. 

Isaacman and his crew plan to spend at least five days in orbit during their private spacewalk. During that time, the crew will break the record for the highest spaceflight by female astronauts and also fly on the highest human spaceflight since the Apollo era. 

Isaacman and the crew will also attempt the world's first private spacewalk on flight day 3, test a new orbital Starlink communications link on flight day 4 and conduct nearly 40 experiments while in orbit. A key experiment is the testing and demonstration of SpaceX's new spacesuits for spacewalking

The flight schedule of SpaceX"s Polaris Dawn astronauts. (Image credit: SpaceX)
Swipe to scroll horizontally
Falcon 9 Launch, Landing, Dragon Deploy
Time (hr:min:sec)EventHeader Cell - Column 2
T-00:45:00SpaceX Launch Director 'Go' for FuelingRow 0 - Cell 2
T-00:42:00Crew Access Arm RetractsRow 1 - Cell 2
T-00:39:00Dragon Launch Escape System ArmedRow 2 - Cell 2
T-00:35:00RP-1 propellant loading beginsRow 3 - Cell 2
T-00:35:001st stage liquid oxygen (LOX) loading beginsRow 4 - Cell 2
T-00:16:002nd stage LOX loading beginsRow 5 - Cell 2
T-00:07:00Falcon 9 engine chilldown beginsRow 6 - Cell 2
T-00:5:00Dragon on internal powerRow 7 - Cell 2
T-00:01:00Flight computer prelaunch checksRow 8 - Cell 2
T-00:01:00Fuel tanks at flight pressureRow 9 - Cell 2
T-00:00:45Launch Director gives 'GO' for launchRow 10 - Cell 2
T-00:00:03Ignition Sequence StartRow 11 - Cell 2
T-00:00:00Falcon 9 Liftoff!Row 12 - Cell 2
T+00:00:58Max QRow 13 - Cell 2
T+00:02:261st stage main engine cutoffRow 14 - Cell 2
T+00:02:29Stage SeparationRow 15 - Cell 2
T+00:02:372nd stage engine startRow 16 - Cell 2
T+00:02:431st stage boostback burn startsRow 17 - Cell 2
T+00:03:301st stage boostback burn endsRow 18 - Cell 2
T+00:06:161st stage entry burn startsRow 19 - Cell 2
T+00:06:271st stage entry burn endsRow 20 - Cell 2
T+00:07:211st stage landing burnRow 21 - Cell 2
T+00:07:381st stage landingRow 22 - Cell 2
T+00:08:492nd stage engine cutoff Row 23 - Cell 2
T+00:11:55Dragon separationRow 24 - Cell 2
T+00:12:43Dragon nosecone opensRow 25 - Cell 2

What if SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission can't launch on time?

While SpaceX is targeting a 3:38 a.m. EDT launch on Sept. 10 for the Polaris Dawn crew, the company could delay or scrub the mission due to technical or weather issues. As such, the company has a backup launch opportunity, with liftoff scheduled for the same time of day. 

If an issue prevents Polaris Dawn's launch on Sept. 10, SpaceX could try again on Sept. 11 at 3:38 a.m. EDT. As with the Sept. 10 attempt, SpaceX would have a four-hour window in which to launch the mission, with two chances to fly during that window, likely again at 5:23 a.m. EDT and 7:09 a.m. EDT.

SpaceX has already delayed the launch by weeks. It was originally scheduled to launch on Monday, Aug. 26, with SpaceX postponing the flight three times to check out the mission's rocket and wait for better weather forecasts. 

You can watch SpaceX's Polaris Dawn launch live on Space.com on launch day, courtesy of SpaceX's X stream, starting at about 12 a.m. EDT (0400 GMT). 

Editor's note: This story was updated on Sept. 9 at 8:00 am ET with the updated launch target times.

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Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.