On Thursday, history was made as Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis, members of the Polaris Dawn crew, became the first private individuals to conduct a spacewalk. They exited the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, tethered to an oxygen line, and ventured into the vacuum of space at an altitude of 435 miles (700 km). This groundbreaking achievement marks a significant step forward for commercial space exploration.
While Isaacman and Gillis embarked on their historic journey outside the spacecraft, Kidd Poteet and Anna Menon, the other two members of the all-civilian crew, remained inside. Isaacman was the first to exit after the Dragon’s cabin was depressurized and the hatch opened, followed by Gillis. The spacewalk concluded with Gillis’ return to the capsule and the subsequent closing of the hatch. The capsule has since been repressurized.
Isaacman and Gillis each spent approximately 12 minutes outside the spacecraft, putting the SpaceX-designed EVA spacesuits through their paces. This milestone is particularly noteworthy as space agency NASA has routinely conducted extravehicular activities (EVAs) with government astronauts, but no commercial player or civilians had attempted it before.
“Today’s spacewalk is the first extravehicular activity (EVA) using commercially developed hardware, procedures, and the new SpaceX EVA suit,” SpaceX stated on Thursday.
The Polaris Dawn mission, the first of up to three human spaceflight missions planned under the Polaris program founded by Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman, is a testament to the growing capabilities of private space exploration. The mission launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket propelling the Dragon spacecraft and its crew into orbit. The spacecraft and its crew are scheduled to spend five days in orbit before returning to Earth.
The mission reached its maximum target altitude of 870 miles on the second day, setting a new record for the farthest humans have ventured from Earth since the end of the Apollo program. The International Space Station (ISS), in comparison, orbits at a maximum altitude of only about 285 miles.
This historic spacewalk signifies a momentous leap in the advancement of commercial spaceflight. It showcases the potential of private companies like SpaceX to drive innovation and push the boundaries of space exploration. The Polaris Dawn mission is just the beginning of what promises to be an exciting era of private space exploration.
