Billionaire Jared Isaacman Becomes First Private Citizen to Perform Spacewalk, Paving the Way for Historic Polaris Dawn Mission
In a groundbreaking moment for the private space industry, billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman made history on Thursday by performing the first spacewalk by a private citizen. The broadcast live event showed Isaacman emerging from SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, performing a series of maneuvers while tethered to the spacecraft. This marked a new milestone for private spaceflight, pushing the boundaries of commercial space exploration.
Historic Spacewalk
Isaacman, founder of Shift4 Payments, was joined by Sarah Gillis, a SpaceX engineer and fellow crew member who ventured outside the spacecraft. Tethered to the Dragon capsule, both astronauts used handrails for stability as they floated in space. The spacewalk, initially scheduled for early Thursday, was a joint effort that commenced just before 7 a.m. Eastern Time. Isaacman was the first to exit, followed by Gillis, and both spent several minutes outside the capsule, performing mobility tests in SpaceX’s newly developed spacesuits.
Testing SpaceX’s New Spacesuits
A primary objective of the spacewalk was to test SpaceX’s state-of-the-art spacesuits, designed to protect astronauts in the harsh vacuum of space. These sleek, form-fitting suits are engineered to protect astronauts from radiation and extreme temperatures while allowing maximum mobility, a crucial feature for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
SpaceX has worked on these spacesuits for over two years, aiming to develop suits that support long-term space exploration. The spacewalk provided valuable insights into the suits’ performance, a critical component for SpaceX’s future ambitions.
Pioneering Commercial Spaceflight
The mission, known as Polaris Dawn, is funded by Isaacman and does not involve NASA, underscoring the growing role of private enterprises in space exploration. The flight began on Tuesday when the crew launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral for a five-day mission. In addition to Isaacman and Gillis, the all-civilian crew includes retired Air Force pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet and Anna Menon, a SpaceX mission director and astronaut communicator.
The spacewalk also marked a first for private space missions, previously conducted exclusively by government astronauts. SpaceX’s livestream showcased Isaacman’s spacewalk at over 870 miles above Earth, more than three times the altitude of the International Space Station, making it the highest altitude reached by humans since NASA’s Apollo missions.
Looking Ahead
The Polaris Dawn mission is a stepping stone for SpaceX, which aims to return humans to the Moon and eventually establish a human presence on Mars. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), SpaceX highlighted the mission’s significance: “Building a base on the Moon and a city on Mars will require thousands of spacesuits.”
This mission represents a technical achievement and signals the rapid advancement of private space exploration. As Isaacman and his team continue their journey, the future of commercial space travel seems closer than ever, with private citizens now playing an active role in humanity’s quest to explore beyond Earth.
Conclusion
As the Polaris Dawn mission continues, it showcases the growing influence of private companies like SpaceX in space exploration, once a domain solely controlled by government agencies. Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis’s successful spacewalk is just the beginning of what promises to be a new era of commercial space adventures, pushing humanity toward more ambitious goals in space exploration.