Polaris Dawn launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle launched the Polaris Dawn mission to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, on 10 September 2024, at 09:23 UTC (05:23 EDT). Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed on the “A Shortfall of Gravitas” droneship, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Falcon 9’s first stage (B1083) previously supported Crew-8 and two Starlink missions. At approximately 700 kilometres above the Earth, the Polaris Dawn crew (Jared Isaacman, Scott Poteet, Sarah Gillis, Anna Menon) will attempt the first-ever commercial extravehicular activity (EVA). Crew Dragon Resilience previously supported the Crew-1 and Inspiration4 missions. Credit: Polaris Program / John Kraus / SpaceX #PolarisDawn