On Tuesday, four private astronauts launched SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission to conduct the first private spacewalk and test new spacesuits. The crew consists of billionaire Jared Isaacman, a veteran Air Force pilot, and two SpaceX engineers. At 5:23 a.m. EST, they launched in a modified SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre, reaching orbit in 10 minutes.
On the mission’s third day, the highlight is a 20-minute spacewalk at 700 km altitude. SpaceX’s Crew Dragon will depressurise the cabin, and Isaacman and Sarah Gillis will walk attached to oxygen lines while the other two astronauts stay inside. This is Crew Dragon’s seventh private trip and the most ambitious ever, with the spacecraft travelling up to 1,400 kilometres from Earth—the furthest human journey since the Apollo program in 1972.
The Falcon 9 rocket successfully landed on a seaborne pad. The launch had already been delayed due to weather and technical concerns. Only government astronauts have performed spacewalks to date, with over 270 aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since 2000.
Polaris Dawn is part of Isaacman’s privately funded program, including an upcoming Crew Dragon mission and a SpaceX Starship launch. The crew will also undertake studies on how space affects the human body.
