Crew of Polaris Dawn successfully complete the first commercial spacewalk aboard SpaceX Dragon

The groundbreaking Polaris Dawn mission, funded by billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX, recently saw the first-ever private spacewalk conducted by commercial astronauts. The crew of four, including Isaacman and SpaceX employee Sarah Gillis, ventured out of the Dragon capsule at 435 miles above Earth, without the use of an airlock, making the entire vehicle depressurize and exposing the entire team to the vacuum of space. This marked a significant achievement in space exploration, as government astronauts had previously been the sole participants in spacewalks. The Polaris Dawn mission, part of the Polaris Program, is aimed at testing technology that could advance SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s goal of crewed trips to Mars. The crew members, including Anna Menon and Scott “Kidd” Poteet, had undergone extensive preparations before the spacewalk, including ensuring proper breathing techniques to avoid decompression sickness. The mission also included a series of scientific experiments and tests, including a laser-based satellite communication system using Starlink and studies on the human body’s response to long-duration spaceflights. The crew of Polaris Dawn is set to return to Earth on Sunday, making a planned splashdown landing off the coast of Florida. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson praised the historic spacewalk as a significant step forward for the commercial space industry and the development of a vibrant space economy.

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