Produced by: Manoj Kumar
During the Polaris Dawn mission, SpaceX’s command center lost power for an hour, leaving the Dragon spacecraft temporarily without ground-based control, reported by Reuters.
Though communication was maintained via Starlink satellites, full redundancy wasn’t achieved, raising safety concerns during this high-stakes mission.
“Not having command and control is a big deal,” an insider told Reuters, emphasizing the critical nature of quick responses from mission operators.
With no airlock in the Dragon spacecraft, astronauts faced high risks during Polaris Dawn’s historic private spacewalk, including repressurizing the cabin post-walk.
Polaris program leader Jared Isaacman, a billionaire digital payments pioneer, is personally funding and organizing the multi-phase SpaceX missions.
Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned missions under the Polaris program, with the ultimate goal of testing SpaceX’s Starship for human space travel.
Isaacman, nominated as NASA Administrator by President-elect Trump, hinted at stepping back from space missions due to potential conflicts of interest.
SpaceX’s reliance on federal contracts continues to face scrutiny, with founder Elon Musk advised to avoid jeopardizing Top Secret clearance.
The incident highlights the critical need for robust communication systems in crewed missions as SpaceX prepares for more ambitious endeavors.