SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission made history on September 12, 2024, by successfully conducting the world’s first private spacewalk. Jared Isaacman, the billionaire mission commander, and Sarah Gillis, a SpaceX engineer, exited the Crew Dragon capsule at an altitude of approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) above Earth.The spacewalk, which lasted about an hour and 46 minutes, began at 6:52 AM local time in the United States. Isaacman, wearing a white and grey SpaceX-designed spacesuit, was the first to emerge from the capsule, exclaiming, ‘It’s magnificent’ as he stood on a metal structure attached to the spacecraft. Gillis followed shortly after, and both astronauts performed a series of mobility tests to evaluate the new spacesuits.This groundbreaking mission not only marked the first commercial spacewalk but also set a record for the farthest distance traveled by humans from Earth since the Apollo missions over 50 years ago, reaching a maximum altitude of 1,400 kilometers (870 miles). Isaacman reflected on the experience, saying, ‘Back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world’.The Polaris Dawn crew, which also includes pilot Scott Poteet and medical officer Anna Menon, had undergone extensive training for over two and a half years to prepare for this mission. The entire crew wore spacesuits during the extravehicular activity (EVA) due to the lack of an airlock in the Dragon spacecraft.NASA Administrator Bill Nelson praised the achievement, calling it ‘a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and NASA’s long-term goal to build a vibrant U.S. space economy’. The mission’s success represents a significant milestone in SpaceX’s efforts to advance commercial space exploration and paves the way for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Key points
- SpaceX successfully conducted the world’s first private spacewalk as part of the Polaris Dawn mission.
- The mission set a record for the farthest distance traveled by humans from Earth since the Apollo missions.
- The spacewalk tested new SpaceX-designed spacesuits, crucial for future Moon and Mars missions.
- NASA praised the achievement as a significant step for the commercial space industry.
Contradictions👾There are slight discrepancies in the reported duration of the spacewalk, with some sources stating 30 minutes and others reporting an hour and 46 minutes.
