IWC SCHAFFHAUSEN TO SUPPORT THE UPCOMING POLARIS DAWN MISSION
Schaffhausen/Geneva, 31st March 2022 – As announced to coincide with Watches and Wonders Geneva, IWC Schaffhausen will support the Polaris Dawn mission, the first of three human spaceflights planned as part of the Polaris program. The endeavour is the brainchild of US entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, with whom IWC already partnered for last year’s Inspiration4 mission. Polaris Dawn will conduct scientific research designed to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflights. A cornerstone will be to raise funds for the life-saving work of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®.
Last year, IWC Schaffhausen supported Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit. Now, the Swiss luxury watch manufacturer teams up with US entrepreneur and astronaut Jared Isaacman again to support his new project, the Polaris Dawn mission. Polaris Dawn will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2022. The crew will consist of Jared Isaacman, Scott “Kidd” Poteet, Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon.
“We are proud we have supported Inspiration4 and are looking forward to embarking on the next joint project. Giving back to the community is a core part of the Polaris Dawn mission, and it’s very much in line with our values at IWC Schaffhausen. I can’t wait to see what we can achieve together,”
“We are excited to have IWC Schaffhausen on board for our upcoming Polaris Dawn mission. Together, we will not only expand our understanding of what’s possible in human spaceflight but also support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® as it strives to improve global survival rates for childhood cancer here on Earth,” added Isaacman.
ADVANCING CIVILIAN SPACE EXPLORATION AND RAISING FUNDS FOR ST. JUDE
While in orbit, the crew will conduct scientific research designed to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflights. Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned missions as part of the Polaris program. IWC Schaffhausen will unveil more details about the collaboration in the coming months. In line with IWC’s commitment to community engagement, IWC will continue to raise awareness and funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. After last year’s Inspiration4 mission, four unique spacethemed IWC Pilot’s Watches Chronograph Editions raised 405,000 USD for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. This institution is lead the way in how the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
The video of the talk is available on https://www.iwc.com/ch/en/specials/videos-2022.html
POLARIS DAWN
The Polaris Program is a first-of-its-kind effort to further humanity’s exploration of space and to help solve the most challenging issues on Earth. The program will consist of up to three human spaceflight missions. The first mission, Polaris Dawn, is targeted for no earlier than the fourth quarter of this year and will be commanded by Isaacman, an accomplished pilot and astronaut who commanded Inspiration4, the world’s first all-civilian mission to orbit that helped raise more than $240 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “The Polaris Program is an exciting next step in space missions to advance human space exploration while helping to solve problems through the use of innovative technology here on Earth,” said Isaacman. “On Polaris Dawn, we endeavor to achieve the highest Earth orbit ever flown in addition to conducting the world’s first commercial spacewalk. Alongside these important objectives, we will be supporting scientific research to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflights.” Building upon the Inspiration4 mission, Polaris Dawn will continue to raise funds and awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
IWC Schaffhausen is the Engineer of Watchmaking. In 1868, the American watchmaker and engineer Florentine Ariosto Jones established the ‘International Watch Company’ in Schaffhausen in the German-speaking part of Switzerland. By combining the best of human craftsmanship and creativity with cutting-edge industrial technology and processes, he laid the foundation for IWC’s unique engineering approach to watchmaking.
IWC’s distinctive and pure design is brought to life through collections ranging from elegant dress watches to sports and luxury sports watches, notably the Portugieser, Portofino, Pilot’s Watches and Ingenieur. Over its more than 150-year history, IWC has earned a reputation for creating professional instrument watches and functional complications, especially chronographs and calendars, which are ingenious, robust and easy to use.
A pioneer in the use of titanium and ceramic, IWC specializes in performance materials such as Ceratanium®. IWC’s advanced engineering division XPL develops technologies that enhance the durability of mechanical watches and extend their applications to environments with extreme conditions such as jet aviation and human spaceflight.
IWC is a leader in luxury watchmaking, crafting timepieces built to last for generations and continuously improving every aspect of how it manufactures, distributes and services its watches responsibly. Empowering the next generation of engineers, the brand also partners with organizations that work globally to support children and young people. IWC. EngineeredTM.