Produced by: Tarun Mishra
In a significant achievement for commercial spaceflight, billionaire Jared Isaacman successfully led the first private spacewalk on Thursday as part of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission. The event took place 700 kilometres above Earth, advancing SpaceX's ambitions for human space exploration.
Jared Isaacman, founder of Shift4 Payments and commander of the Polaris Dawn mission, initiated the spacewalk after thorough safety checks. This marked a critical moment in the mission, which aims to push the boundaries of private space exploration.
Following Isaacman, SpaceX engineer and mission crew member Sarah Gillis also exited the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Their mission was a key test of SpaceX's newly developed extravehicular activity (EVA) suits.
The main goal of the spacewalk was to assess the functionality of SpaceX's EVA suits, designed for future missions to the Moon and Mars. Isaacman performed several mobility tests to evaluate the suit's flexibility and overall comfort in space.
The crew used a specially designed "Skywalker" handrail system to stay tethered to the spacecraft while performing their tasks. This system is crucial for maintaining stability during extravehicular activities.
The spacewalk lasted approximately two hours, including the depressurization and repressurization of the Crew Dragon capsule. Isaacman and Gillis each spent about 12 minutes outside the spacecraft while their crewmates monitored the operation.
The successful EVA brings SpaceX closer to its goal of supporting human missions beyond low Earth orbit. This marks a critical step toward future long-duration missions involving private astronauts.
Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned missions in the Polaris program. In addition to the spacewalk, the mission aims to conduct scientific experiments in space, further pushing the limits of commercial space travel.