Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman outside the Dragon capsule
The crew aboard SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission successfully completed the world’s first commercial spacewalk—also known as an extravehicular activity (EVA)—from Dragon at 732.2 km above Earth. A four-person crew of civilians stepped out of their capsule and made history as the first group of non-government astronauts to conduct a spacewalk.
By venturing further into space than anyone has since the Apollo programme 50 years ago, the crew set another milestone in space travel. After the spacecraft reached the record-high altitude, it was lowered to 458 miles (737 km) at its highest point to initiate the spacewalk.
Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and his crew waited until their capsule was depressurised before opening the hatch. Isaacman was the first one out, aiming to join a small elite group of spacewalkers who, until now, had all represented countries.
While standing outside the Dragon hatch, Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman, the American billionaire who financed the mission, announced as he looked down on Earth: “SpaceX, back at home we have a lot of work to do, but from here it looks like a perfect world.”
After about 15 minutes outside, Isaacman was replaced by SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis to go through the same motions. The crew also included Scott Kidd Poteet, a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot, and SpaceX engineer Anna Menon, who remained in their seats to monitor the historic spacewalk. The group of four had undergone intensive training before the trip.
The crew underwent a “pre-breathe” process, which involves purging the blood of nitrogen to prevent the gas from bubbling—a potentially lethal condition—as they prepared for the spacewalk.
The spacewalk also tested the new EVA spacesuits that SpaceX developed in just two and a half years, incorporating significant new innovations. The suits were designed to fit and function more like normal clothes, offering greater flexibility compared to the highly restrictive and puffy suits that astronauts have traditionally worn during spacewalks.
The mission involves the Dragon and the Polaris Dawn spending up to five days in orbit, flying higher than any Dragon mission to date and attempting to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown.
After successfully completing the spacewalk, the crew strapped into their seats in the Dragon capsule and connected with their families through Starlink internet. The crew posted a tweet on X (formerly Twitter) that read, “Hello Earth – We are grateful for all the support!”
The Polaris Dawn mission will remain in orbit for the next few days to conduct multiple scientific experiments. The mission is also testing a new communication system that uses lasers to connect with SpaceX’s Starlink satellites, a vast network that provides broadband internet across the world.
The system “has the opportunity to open up an entirely new communication pathway, not just for Dragon, but for […] Starships or other satellites or telescopes out there,” Isaacman said at a press conference on August 19.
The mission will be testing a variety of technologies and hardware to be used in future human spaceflights by SpaceX and NASA. The demonstrations aim to help advance human exploration of the cosmos in the future.
Jancy McPhee, associate chief scientist for human research at NASA, stated, “Each mission, whether the crew is comprised of commercial or NASA astronauts, provides a key opportunity to expand our knowledge about how spaceflight affects human health.”
“Information gathered from Polaris Dawn will give us critical insights to help NASA plan for deeper space travel to the moon and Mars,” she added.
First Published: Sep 13 2024 | 12:49 PM IST
