SpaceX Polaris Dawn Crew Completes Historic Civilian Spacewalk

Commander Jared Isaacman and mission specialist Sarah Gillis each spent a few minutes outside the Dragon capsule, performing tests on their spacesuits.

Jack Daleo

Thursday, September 12, 2024 at 04:06 PM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission achieved the first-ever commercial spacewalk, with civilian astronauts Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis exiting the Dragon capsule at an altitude higher than the International Space Station.
The spacewalk was unique as all four crew members were exposed to the vacuum of space due to the Dragon capsule not having an airlock, marking a significant advancement for commercially produced spacecraft and EVA suits.
This historic mission tested new SpaceX-developed spacesuits, vital for future long-duration space travel and lunar/Mars exploration, and is part of a program aimed at advancing commercial space capabilities and supporting NASA's Artemis program.

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The four-person crew of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission made history on Thursday morning by completing the first spacewalk with civilian astronauts.

Commander Jared Isaacman, the billionaire CEO of Shift4 Payments who purchased the five-day orbital flight from SpaceX, and mission specialist Sarah Gillis, one of two SpaceX engineers who are the company’s first employees to fly to space, exited SpaceX’s Dragon capsule one at a time, each spending about 12 minutes outside. The astronauts were traveling at 17,500 mph at an altitude more than 450 miles above Earth, higher than the International Space Station.