emirates7 - SpaceX's four-person Polaris Dawn mission will be postponed by at least a day due to a helium leak detected in ground equipment at the Kennedy Space Center, the company announced on Tuesday, just hours before the Crew Dragon capsule was set to launch.

According to Reuters, the mission’s main event is scheduled to occur two days after launch, when the crew will undertake a 20-minute spacewalk 434 miles (700 km) above Earth. This will be the first private spacewalk in history.

SpaceX now plans to launch the spacecraft, which will be carried by a Falcon 9 rocket, at 03:38 (07:38 GMT / 11:38 UAE) on Wednesday, as stated in a post on X.

"Teams are further investigating a ground-side helium leak," SpaceX said in Tuesday's update. “Both the Falcon and Dragon remain in good condition, and the crew is ready for their multi-day mission to low-Earth orbit.”

Up until now, only government astronauts have conducted spacewalks, with the most recent ones performed by members of the International Space Station, who routinely wear spacesuits for maintenance and other inspections of the station.