On Thursday morning, the SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew made history by completing the first-ever spacewalk conducted entirely by civilian astronauts. This marked a major milestone in space exploration, as the four-person crew embarked on a mission that sets new precedents for commercial space travel.
Led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, CEO of Shift4 Payments and mission commander, the crew included SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, as well as mission pilot Scott Poteet. Gillis and Isaacman took turns stepping outside the SpaceX Dragon capsule, making history by floating in the vacuum of space at an altitude of 458 miles above Earth—higher than the International Space Station. The mission’s objective was to test SpaceX’s newly developed spacesuits designed for future long-duration missions to the moon and Mars.
What set this mission apart from typical spacewalks was the absence of an airlock on the Dragon capsule. All four crew members were exposed to the vacuum of space while the hatch was open, a process that added significant risk. The crew relied on their specialized spacesuits, which were connected to the spacecraft via umbilicals that supplied air, power, and communications. These suits were developed with help from Isaacman’s Polaris team and are designed for use both inside and outside the spacecraft.
The walk itself lasted 1 hour and 46 minutes, during which the astronauts performed mobility tests to evaluate the performance of the suits. Both Isaacman and Gillis completed a series of movements designed to simulate tasks future astronauts may need to perform on the moon or Mars. They remained tethered to the spacecraft via a framework known as “Skywalker,” which provided stability during the spacewalk. Cameras inside and outside the capsule offered wide-angle views of both space and Earth, creating a stunning visual record of the achievement.
Isaacman, reflecting on the moment as he gazed at Earth below, said, “Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, it sure looks like a perfect world.”
To prepare for the spacewalk, the crew underwent a rigorous “prebreathe” process over two days. This involved lowering the cabin pressure and gradually raising oxygen levels to prevent decompression sickness. Following the walk, Dragon was repressurized, and the astronauts safely removed their suits.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk praised the crew for their accomplishment, as did NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who called it a “giant leap forward for the commercial space industry.”
The Polaris Dawn mission is part of a three-mission series funded by Isaacman, aimed at advancing commercial spaceflight. In addition to the spacewalk, the crew also achieved the highest human orbital altitude since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The lessons learned from this mission are expected to contribute significantly to future space missions, including NASA’s Artemis program to return humans to the moon.
As commercial space travel continues to evolve, the Polaris Dawn mission serves as a crucial stepping stone toward humanity’s next frontier: Mars.
