SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch Polaris Dawn, a milestone mission for the private space industry. The crew, consisting of four civilians, will spend up to five days in orbit raising money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and working toward some historic firsts:

• Flying at a higher altitude than any other Dragon mission to date
• Conducting the first-ever commercial spacewalk with extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuit designed by SpaceX
• Test Starlink communications in space

Ahead of the launch, read about the Polaris Dawn mission, its crew, and the health impact research they will also conduct in flight.