SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission: Civilians take spacewalk for the first time in history

SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission’s crew successfully performed the world’s first-ever private spacewalk today. Billionaire Jared Isaacman, 41, became the first person to take part in a private spacewalk followed by SpaceX engineer, Sarah Gillis, 30. This spacewalk is carried out on day 3 of the five-day mission. Looking at the breathtaking view of Earth after stepping out of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, Isaacson said, "SpaceX, back at home we have a lot of work to do, but from here it looks like a perfect world.”

The Polaris Dawn crew, led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, includes pilot Scott Kidd Poteet and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. The spacewalk was scheduled to last only about 30 minutes, but the procedures to prepare for it and to finish it safely lasted about two hours. It was meant to test the new spacesuit designs and procedures for the capsule, among other things.

Isaacman and Gillis left the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on a tether. While only they ventured outside, all four crew members wore and tested newly designed spacesuits. This was necessary because the Crew Dragon lacked a pressurised airlock, meaning the entire capsule would be depressurised and exposed to vacuum conditions if anyone exited.

The spacewalk began at 3:42 PM IST, nearly four hours later than initially announced. The Dragon hatch was closed at approximately 4:44 PM IST as SpaceX began repressurising the spacecraft. During the spacewalk, both Isaacman and Gillis performed a series of spacesuit mobility checks. One of the goals of the Polaris Dawn mission was to test the space suits that SpaceX plans to use on future missions, both in Earth's orbit and deeper into space.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also posted a picture of Isaacman in space with the caption, “Emerging from Dragon for spacewalk”.

Emerging from Dragon for spacewalk pic.twitter.com/OfV8uB3ycd

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2024

After 15 hours of take-off, the crew achieved a significant milestone, reaching an altitude of 1,400.7 kilometres. This surpassed the previous crewed altitude record set by the Apollo program over 50 years ago. NASA's Gemini 11 mission had previously held the record at 1,373 km.