Polaris Dawn mission delayed over helium leak

New Delhi: SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission aimed to conduct the first-ever 'all-civilian' spacewalk has been delayed over a helium leak, said the Elon-Musk-led company on Tuesday.

The four-member mission was scheduled to launch today. It is now planned for liftoff onboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 on Wednesday at 3:38 a.m. ET (1:08pm IST) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

“Teams are taking a closer look at a ground-side helium leak on the quick disconnect umbilical,” SpaceX said in a post on X.com

“Falcon and Dragon remain healthy and the crew continues to be ready for their multi-day mission to low-Earth orbit. Next launch opportunity is no earlier than Wednesday, August 28,” it added.

A "quick disconnect umbilical" connects Falcon 9 with a line coming from the launch tower. While Falcon 9's Merlin engines burn kerosene and liquid oxygen as a propellant, SpaceX uses helium to pressurise fuel lines.

Meanwhile, Musk reiterated the safety of the crew, as the mission aims to fly higher than any crewed mission since the Apollo Programme ended in the 1970s.