A private crew made history on Thursday by becoming the first civilians to perform a spacewalk, a major achievement for the commercial space industry. The SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, led by fintech billionaire Jared Isaacman, launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, reaching deeper into space than any human in the last 50 years. The crew’s Dragon spacecraft orbited at an altitude of 430 miles, allowing the first-ever civilian extravehicular activity (EVA) to take place.
During the EVA, the crew’s suits were filled with pure oxygen at 1012 GMT. Isaacman, gripping the “Skywalker” structure equipped with hand and footholds, opened the hatch and stepped out into space, gazing at the stunning view of Earth. “It’s gorgeous,” he remarked to mission control in California. SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk in 2002, achieved another milestone in its journey to revolutionize space travel. This event followed their successful crewed spaceship delivery to NASA in 2020, further cementing their leadership in the commercial space sector.
Advancements in Technology and Training
The mission required extensive preparation, including the “prebreathe” process to remove nitrogen from the crew’s blood and avoid decompression sickness. SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Scott Poteet conducted tests on the next-generation suits featuring heads-up displays, helmet cameras, and improved mobility systems. The mission lasted an hour and 46 minutes, with a successful re-pressurization of the cabin afterward.
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Unlike earlier spacewalks, where astronauts floated on tethers or used jetpacks, the entire crew aboard the Dragon was exposed to the vacuum of space due to the lack of an airlock. The mission also took the crew into the inner Van Allen radiation belt, exposing them to high-energy particles. All members underwent over two years of rigorous training, including simulations, skydiving, and scuba diving, in preparation for this groundbreaking event.
Future of Commercial Space Travel
The Polaris Dawn mission is the first of three under the Polaris program, a collaboration between Isaacman and SpaceX. The program aims to advance commercial space exploration, culminating in a crewed flight of SpaceX’s Starship. Financial details remain undisclosed, but Isaacman has reportedly invested $200 million, following his leadership in the 2021 all-civilian Inspiration4 mission.
This mission also included laser-based satellite communication tests and scientific experiments, such as evaluating contact lenses with embedded microelectronics to monitor eye changes in space. As former NASA administrator Sean O’Keefe noted, this milestone is a “watershed event in the commercialization of space,” drawing parallels with early aviation pioneers who paved the way for modern air travel.
The success of Polaris Dawn sets the stage for future missions and symbolizes a new chapter in space exploration, driven by private enterprise and technological innovation.