Historic spacewalk: private astronauts venture into orbit
On Thursday, the world witnessed a groundbreaking event as two astronauts—Jared Isaacman, a billionaire and founder of Shift4, and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis—completed the first private spacewalk in orbit. This historic achievement unfolded outside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, marking a significant milestone in commercial spaceflight.
The spacewalk, part of the Polaris Dawn mission, saw Isaacman and Gillis each spend about 10 minutes outside the Crew Dragon capsule, tethered and equipped with new spacesuits. The mission, which commenced about 450 miles above Earth, lasted a total of one hour and 46 minutes. The spacewalkers’ crewmates, Scott Poteet and Anna Menon, observed from inside the capsule.
Isaacman, who previously funded the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, spearheaded the Polaris mission and has yet to disclose the exact cost of this endeavor, though it is likely in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The spacewalk was live-streamed on SpaceX’s website, showcasing the testing of innovative equipment, including slim spacesuits and a new depressurization process for the Crew Dragon cabin. This technology is intended to pave the way for future private missions to Mars.
The mission was a significant technical challenge, with the Crew Dragon capsule being completely depressurized before the astronauts ventured outside. They relied on their SpaceX-developed spacesuits for oxygen and life support through an umbilical connection to the capsule. Isaacman, 41, and Gillis, 30, tested various body movements and provided feedback to improve future spacesuit designs. Their movements appeared somewhat restricted, particularly at the waist, back, and neck.
This mission reflects a notable advancement in commercial space exploration, previously dominated by government agencies. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson praised the accomplishment, describing it as a “giant leap forward” for the commercial space industry and a step towards a vibrant U.S. space economy.
The Polaris Dawn crew, who launched from Florida on Tuesday, has been circling Earth in a highly elliptical orbit, reaching distances not achieved since the last Apollo moon missions. This mission represents a bold step in expanding the scope of private space ventures and testing the limits of commercial spaceflight capabilities.
With Crew Dragon continuing to demonstrate its reliability, the success of this mission underscores SpaceX’s pivotal role in the future of space exploration.
