SpaceX scripts history as Polaris Dawn concludes first ever private spacewalk

Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis conducted the world’s first commercial spacewalk on Thursday in what marks as a significant step forward in the realm of privately funded space missions.

As part of the Polaris Dawn mission, Isaacman and Gillis sequentially exited the Crew Dragon spacecraft, with Isaacman taking the lead.

Outside the capsule, they performed a series of movements to test the mobility and functionality of SpaceX-designed spacesuits. These evaluations are crucial for future missions that may require astronauts to operate in the vacuum of space.

“Back at home we have a lot of work to do but from here, it looks like a perfect world,” Isaacman said as he emerged and gazed upon Earth.

Unlike the iconic moonwalks of the Apollo era, this spacewalk involved the astronauts partially exiting the spacecraft to conduct tests before re-entering.

Earlier in the week, the mission had already made history when the Dragon capsule reached a peak altitude of 1,400 km above Earth on Tuesday—the farthest humans have traveled from the planet since the lunar landings.

Before initiating the spacewalk, the spacecraft adjusted its orbit to an altitude between 195 and 737 km. The primary goal of the mission is to test the performance of SpaceX’s spacesuits in the harsh conditions of space, a task traditionally undertaken by government astronauts from national space agencies.

Isaacman, who funded the mission but has not disclosed the investment amount, and Gillis are considered private astronauts. The Polaris Dawn crew comprises four members: Isaacman, Gillis, SpaceX lead engineer Anna Menon, and Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a former US Air Force pilot and close friend of Isaacman.

During the spacewalk, Menon and Poteet remained inside the spacecraft. However, all crew members wore SpaceX’s spacesuits throughout the operation because the hatch remained open, exposing the cabin to the vacuum of space.

Menon and Gillis have now set a record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth by women.

After completing the spacewalk, the crew repressurized the cabin to conclude the demonstration. They are scheduled to prepare for their return journey to Earth on the fifth day of the mission, with a planned splashdown in the ocean where SpaceX recovery teams will retrieve them.

The mission’s extended distance from Earth exposes the crew to higher levels of cosmic radiation compared to typical missions to the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit. This exposure provides SpaceX with valuable data on how deep-space environments affect human physiology, which is essential for planning longer-duration missions.

While SpaceX has not detailed specific future applications for spacewalking capabilities, NASA astronauts routinely perform spacewalks to repair or upgrade equipment on the exterior of the International Space Station.