Artwork by St. Jude patient Ty
Expanding our understanding of what's possible
As with the Inspiration4 spaceflight —the first all-civilian mission to orbit — the Polaris Program will push the frontiers of human space exploration.
Starting with Polaris Dawn, the program will consist of a series of missions, culminating in the world’s first-human spaceflight on Starship, all while raising awareness and funds for important causes here on Earth, including St. Jude.
Meet the Polaris Dawn crew
Jared Isaacman
Mission Commander
Scott Poteet
Mission Pilot
Sarah Gillis
Mission Specialist
Anna Menon
Mission Specialist & Medical Officer
Jared Isaacman — Commander of Inspiration4 — will command up to three Polaris missions, starting with Polaris Dawn. We are grateful to Jared and deeply honored by his continued support of St. Jude through his spaceflights.
St. Jude is proud to be the charitable beneficiary of this milestone in spaceflight, which will allow us to continue our groundbreaking research for kids worldwide afflicted with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
A visit to St. Jude, and an inspiration for patients to reach for the stars
The Polaris Dawn mission crew took time from their training schedule to tour St. Jude and meet some of the children and families they are helping. They did an art project with the patients who peppered them with questions about the mission. Read about the event or learn more about the crew and their mission.
Scheduled for no earlier than summer 2024
HIGHLIGHTS
- 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 flight will feature the first-ever commercial spacewalk with SpaceX-designed extravehicular activity (EVA) spacesuits, upgraded from the current intravehicular (IVA) suit. The development of this suit and the execution of the EVA will be important steps toward a scalable design for spacesuits on future long-duration missions.
- They will become the first crew to test Starlink laser-based communications in space, providing valuable data for future space communications systems necessary for human spaceflight to the Moon, Mars and beyond.
Polaris Dawn Mission Patch
Background art by St. Jude patient Caleb
Out-of-this-world opportunities
Bid now during this exclusive auction and help the Polaris Program continue to raise funds and awareness for St. Jude.
Check out the St. Jude Amazon store
Space and Polaris Dawn-themed T-shirts, tote bags, phone cases and more — all to benefit St. Jude kids.
Explore Polaris Dawn merchandise
Show your support for this mission with a flight jacket, hat and more. Proceeds benefit St. Jude.
Polaris Dawn Mission Patch
When you donate $25 or more to St. Jude, you will receive this Polaris Dawn Mission patch as our gift to you.
The single most significant predictor of whether a child with cancer will survive is where they live.
Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall survival rate for childhood cancer from 20% when the hospital opened in 1962 to more than 80% today, meaning 4 out of 5 children afflicted with cancer in the United States will survive.
However, that statistic is reversed in many developing countries: fewer than one in five children with cancer will live.
St. Jude is working to change that.
Our worldwide goal
Our goal is to cure at least 60% of children with six of the most common kinds of cancer worldwide by 2030.
St. Jude patient Jacob, blood cancer
Together, we can build a brighter future for the generations to come.
Your donation will advance the lifesaving work of St. Jude and help bring us closer to a day when no child — anywhere — dies in the dawn of life.
