Tech Billionaire Makes History With First Non-Astronaut Spacewalk

On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, the first ever privately funded spacewalk began with the launch of the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX teamed up to kick off the Polaris program. The three-step mission is not only about the experience of walking – or floating – in space but also about testing out the new, high-tech space suits created by the SpaceX company. The four-man crew aboard the Dragon craft completed the first leg of the mission and returned safely to Earth in about five days.

The Polaris Dawn Mission

The Polaris Dawn Mission is a three-step endeavor meant to gather more information about space and to provide insight into the reliability and mobility of the EVA (extravehicular activity) space suits created by SpaceX. Jared Isaacman funded the high-risk flight and made history by doing so. This is the first time non-professionals have attempted this feat.

First announced in 2021, the mission has undergone a series of setbacks and delays but has so far proven to be successful and record-breaking.

The first step of the program is named Polaris Dawn. Four civilians climbed 435 miles above the Earth, higher than anyone has traveled since NASA’s Apollo missions. Two members of the crew, Isaacman and Sarah Gillis, took turns exiting the craft and held on with half or more of their bodies exposed. Surely an exhilarating experience for the amateur adventure seekers.

The Crew

The four-man crew was made up of Isaacman (Commander), Gillis (Mission Specialist), Scott Poteet (Pilot), and Anna Menon (Mission Specialist and Medical Officer). Isaacman, the tech billionaire who funded the project, made his fortune when he founded the Shift4 credit card processing company at age 16. He was the only crew member who had previously been in space. Sarah Gillis, the only other crew member to exit the craft, is a SpaceX engineer. Scott Poteet is a retired pilot from the United States Air Force, and Anna Menon is the lead space operations and missions director for SpaceX.

The group of four underwent immense training before attempting the mission.

The Flight, the Spacewalk, and the Victorious Homecoming

The fight was strategically planned and left little room for error. Thankfully, there were not too many obstacles to overcome, as the flight went well to plan.

Flight Day 1 – Within 60 minutes of launching, the crew underwent pre-breathing to reduce the amount of nitrogen in their bodies and reduce the chance of illness from decompression. Thorough checks of the cabin took place in the beginning stages of the flight. Once cleared, the craft was propelled 870 miles from the surface of the Earth and broke several records in the process.

Flight Day 2 – The craft was brought down to its cruising orbit about 450 miles from Earth. At this stage, the crew began preparing the EVA suits and conducted experiments.

Fight Day 3 – On this day, two members of the crew, Isaacman and Gillis, partially exited the craft. With Isaacman going first, he opened the hatch and slowly made his way out of the cabin. The spacewalk wasn’t quite a walk, however, as neither amateur astronaut actually let go and floated. The spacecraft is equipped with a handle that allows them to hold on while moving about in the suit. Isaacman spent 7 minutes and 56 seconds outside of the craft.

Once out of the cabin, Isaacman stated: “Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, it sure looks like a perfect world.”

Gillis went next. She spent 7 minutes and 15 seconds outside. In total, the hatch was open for less than 30 minutes. Still, that was enough time to complete the necessary testing and experience something very few people ever have.

The remainder of the flight was making their way back to Earth with several firsts under their belts. The crew safely landed in a predetermined spot in the Gulf of Mexico, where a ship set out to retrieve both the spacecraft and the crew.

The remaining missions are still in the planning stages but are expected to launch soon.

Takeaways

• The Polaris Dawn Mission was the first privately funded spacewalk mission and the first time an amateur astronaut went into space in an EVA suit.
• The mission achieved several historic firsts, and tested a new, more advanced EVA suit.
• The mission was a success, and more privately funded, non-government space missions are now being planned.