The Polaris Dawn crew is back on Earth after a historic mission

The Polaris Dawn crew safely returned to Earth early Sunday morning, bringing the historic privately funded mission to a close. The Dragon capsule carrying the mission's four astronauts - Jared Isaacman, Scott Kidd" Poteet, Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon - splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico around 3:30AM ET.

Splashdown of Dragon confirmed! Welcome back to Earth, @rookisaacman, @kiddpoteet, @Gillis_SarahE, @annawmenon pic.twitter.com/nILpMQh2sR

- SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 15, 2024

On Thursday, Isaacman and Gillis completed the first commercial spacewalk, each taking a turn to exit the craft and perform a series of spacesuit mobility tests. And with this mission, Gillis and Menon have now traveled farther from Earth than any women before. Polaris reached a peak altitude of about 870 miles, which is also the farthest any humans have ventured since the Apollo program.

The crew also performed a number of science experiments, and was able to complete a 40-minute video call to Earth and send files in a major test for Starlink's space communications capabilities. That included a video recorded during the mission of Gillis, an engineer and violinist, playing the violin in space. A new era of commercial spaceflight dawns, with much more to come," Polaris posted on X Sunday morning.

HARMONY OF RESILIENCE: Recorded in space and sent to Earth via @SpaceX's @Starlink constellation, Polaris Dawn crewmember and violinist @Gillis_SarahE invites you to enjoy this music moment in support of @StJude & @ElSistemaUSA https://t.co/My8cUwAWzg pic.twitter.com/OoxTllCZNP

- Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 13, 2024

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/the-polaris-dawn-crew-is-back-on-earth-after-a-historic-mission-142028997.html?src=rss