"Polaris Dawn: New Date Set for April"

The first mission of the Polaris program, Polaris Dawn, which includes the first spacewalk on a commercial mission, has been rescheduled for April 2024. The delay of nearly a year and a half from its original plan is due to challenges in developing an extravehicular activity (EVA) suit and modifying the Crew Dragon spacecraft, which lacks an airlock. Other issues include testing intersatellite laser communications links and electronics for the higher radiation environment. The launch date has been repeatedly pushed back since the program's announcement in February 2022.