SpaceX further delays Polaris Dawn mission launch

A fully civilian spaceflight has been delayed again until Friday at the earliest, after unfavorable weather conditions canceled Wednesday's and Thursday's potential launches. 

The flight was originally scheduled for Tuesday morning, but a helium leak delayed the launch on Monday night. SpaceX said it would try to launch the Polaris Dawn mission on Wednesday or Thursday, but has since pushed it to Friday.

SpaceX said on Wednesday that its teams would continue to monitor the weather, per NBC News.

"Our launch criteria are heavily constrained by forecasted splashdown weather conditions," mission commander and billionaire Jared Isaacman said in a post on X. "With no ISS (space station) rendezvous and limited life support consumables, we must be absolutely sure of reentry weather before launching.

"As of now, conditions are not favorable tonight or tomorrow, so we'll assess day by day," Isaacman continued. "As Elon [Musk] mentioned, Polaris Dawn is a challenging mission with critical objectives, so we'll wait for the best opportunity to ensure success."

The civilian flight will consist of Isaacman, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott “Kidd” Poteet and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. The flight is expected to include the first spacewalk done by a fully civilian crew, which will take place on the mission's third day.

The Polaris Dawn mission is one of three flights that Isaacman is planning and funding with SpaceX, but the other two missions have not been scheduled so far. 

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.