SpaceX Polaris Program Collaboration

Things

Sovaris Aerospace is currently an active scientific collaborator with the SpaceX Polaris Program, led by Jared Isaacman. We are doing this work in collaboration with Dr. Christopher Mason’s lab at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City.

Sovaris and the Mission Science

Sovaris’ work is centered on the collection of biological specimens from the Polaris astronauts, performing complex molecular analytics, and examining for unique molecular patterns associated with each of the specific Polaris Program spaceflight missions. The molecular analytics consists of genome, epigenome, transcriptome, proteome, metabolome, microbiome, immunome, skin microbiome, capsule microbiome, and a variety of others.

These analyses represent the deepest and broadest molecular profiling efforts ever conducted on human space missions. One focus is to better understand how civilians respond to spaceflight. A forward-looking goal of Sovaris scientists is to use the molecular patterns identified in the Polaris missions to develop countermeasure strategies that will advance the field of precision (personalized) medicine in human spaceflight.

The Polaris Program

The Polaris Program is a first-of-its-kind effort to rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities, while continuing to raise funds and awareness for important causes on Earth.

Polaris is a constellation of three stars, which is more commonly known as the North Star. The North Star has been a guiding light throughout human history to help navigate the world around us and the sky above.

The Polaris Program seeks to demonstrate important operational capabilities that will serve as building blocks to help further human exploration to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

The program consists of up to three human spaceflight missions that are designed to demonstrate new technologies, conduct extensive research, and ultimately culminate in the first flight of SpaceX’s Starship with humans on board. The three main Polaris missions are outlined briefly below:

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Polaris Dawn mission from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dragon and the Polaris Dawn crew will spend up to five days in orbit, flying higher than any Dragon mission to-date and endeavoring to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown. The crew of Polaris Dawn will conduct a spacewalk, support scientific research designed to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflights, and be the first to test Starlink laser-based communications in space.

  • Mission II

Mission II will build upon the knowledge derived from Polaris Dawn. This mission will continue to expand the boundaries of future human spaceflight missions, scientific research, and in-space communications.

  • Mission III

The SpaceX Starship is the world’s first fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Mission III of the Polaris Program will be the first human spaceflight on Starship.

 

Mission Partners

  • Weill Cornell Medicine of Cornell University, NYC (with Sovaris Aerospace)
  • Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX  (Sovaris Aerospace also a collaborator)
  • BioServe Space Technologies, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
  • Space Technologies Lab, Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, FL
  • Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD
  • Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA
  • Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO