In a landmark achievement for the commercial space industry, SpaceX has successfully carried out the first spacewalks by private citizens. The historic event took place as part of the SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, which marks a significant milestone in space exploration.
The Polaris Dawn mission, led by fintech billionaire Jared Isaacman, launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday. The mission is notable for reaching deeper into space than any human crew has since the Apollo program, achieving an orbit that extends 430 miles above Earth.
On Thursday, the mission’s crew began their extravehicular activity (EVA) when pure oxygen was introduced into their suits, setting the stage for the spacewalk. At 1012 GMT, Isaacman unlatched the hatch of the Dragon spacecraft and emerged into the vacuum of space, gripping a structure named “Skywalker,” which provided hand and footholds for maneuvering. The breathtaking view of Earth below was described as “gorgeous” by Isaacman, as mission control in Hawthorne, California, monitored the historic event with great excitement.
SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk in 2002, has made waves in the space industry by breaking traditional barriers. The company gained prominence by successfully delivering a crewed spaceship for NASA astronauts to the International Space Station in 2020, surpassing aerospace giant Boeing. Today, SpaceX is a major player in the industry, known for its frequent rocket launches and the global Starlink satellite network providing internet service to numerous countries.
The spacewalk required the crew to complete a “prebreathe” process to purge nitrogen from their blood, preventing decompression sickness. The cabin pressure was carefully reduced to match that of space before the crew began their activity. Isaacman and fellow astronaut Sarah Gillis, a SpaceX engineer, conducted mobility tests on SpaceX’s next-generation suits, which feature heads-up displays, helmet cameras, and enhanced joint mobility systems.
Unlike early spacewalks, such as those by Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov and NASA astronaut Ed White in the 1960s, or the use of jetpacks on Space Shuttle missions in 1984, the Polaris Dawn crew did not float away on a tether or use jetpacks. Instead, the Dragon spacecraft lacked an airlock, meaning the crew was exposed to the vacuum of space during the spacewalk. Mission pilot Scott Poteet and SpaceX engineer Anna Menon remained inside the spacecraft, monitoring critical support systems throughout the activity.
Former NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe praised the achievement as a watershed moment in the commercialization of space, likening the crew to early aviators who paved the way for modern air travel. The Polaris Dawn mission is a significant step towards the broader goal of commercial space transportation.
The Polaris Dawn mission follows a daring first phase, where the Dragon spacecraft reached a peak altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers), placing the crew well above the International Space Station and into the inner Van Allen radiation belt, a region filled with high-energy particles. The crew underwent extensive training, including skydiving, centrifuge training, scuba diving, and climbing an Ecuadoran volcano, to prepare for this challenging mission.
Looking ahead, the Polaris Dawn mission will focus on testing laser-based satellite communications with the Starlink constellation and conducting experiments such as testing contact lenses with embedded microelectronics to monitor changes in eye pressure and shape in space.
The Polaris Dawn mission is the first of three planned missions under the Polaris program, a collaboration between Isaacman and SpaceX. While financial details of the partnership remain confidential, Isaacman, who previously led the 2021 all-civilian SpaceX Inspiration4 mission, has reportedly invested $200 million into the program. The final Polaris mission aims to achieve the first crewed flight of SpaceX’s Starship, a next-generation rocket integral to Musk’s vision of Mars colonization.
