SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew makes history with first private spacewalk | WATCH

New Delhi: In a monumental achievement for the commercial space industry, the SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew conducted the first-ever spacewalk by non-professional astronauts on Thursday. This historic milestone marks a significant step forward in private space exploration.

The mission, spearheaded by fintech billionaire Jared Isaacman, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, early Tuesday. The crew ventured further into space than any human mission in the last 50 years, surpassing the Apollo program’s reach.

With the Dragon spacecraft orbiting between 120 miles at its lowest point and 430 miles at its highest, the crew’s extravehicular activity (EVA) began at 1012 GMT. Pure oxygen flowed into their suits, signaling the official start of the spacewalk.

"The first spacewalk from Dragon has begun!" SpaceX shared via social media platform X.

Giant leap for SpaceX and commercial space exploration

This milestone further solidifies SpaceX's role in reshaping the space industry. Founded by Elon Musk in 2002, the company overcame initial skepticism and has since become a global leader in space technology. In 2020, SpaceX beat Boeing by becoming the first private company to send NASA astronauts to the International Space Station.

SpaceX now launches more rockets than any other company, and its Starlink satellite constellation provides internet service to dozens of countries worldwide.

Watch Dragon’s first spacewalk with the @PolarisProgram’s Polaris Dawn crew https://t.co/svdJRkGN7K

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 12, 2024

What is the prebreathe process?

Before stepping out into space, the crew went through a "prebreathe" process, which purges nitrogen from their bloodstream to prevent decompression sickness. The cabin pressure was gradually lowered to match the vacuum of space. Once ready, Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis took turns peeking out from a structure near the hatch called "Skywalker," equipped with hand and footholds for support.

Isaacman joked, "It'll look like we're doing a little bit of a dance," during a recent press briefing. However, the spacewalk was a serious endeavor, aimed at stress-testing SpaceX’s next-generation spacesuits, which include heads-up displays, helmet cameras, and improved mobility systems.

Unlike early spacefarers like Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov and NASA’s Ed White, who floated freely during their spacewalks, Isaacman and Gillis stayed attached to the spacecraft, which orbits Earth at a blistering 17,500 mph. Mission pilot Scott Poteet and engineer Anna Menon oversaw vital systems while Isaacman and Gillis spent around 15 to 20 minutes partially outside the spacecraft.

"The risk is greater than zero, that's for sure, and it's certainly higher than anything that has been accomplished on a commercial basis," former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe told AFP. He compared the mission to the early days of aviation, which laid the foundation for modern air travel.

First of three Polaris missions

Before the spacewalk, the Dragon spacecraft reached a peak altitude of 870 miles, placing the crew in the inner Van Allen radiation belt, a hazardous zone filled with high-energy particles. This altitude is more than three times higher than the International Space Station.

The Polaris Dawn crew underwent over two years of rigorous training, including sessions on simulators, skydiving, centrifuge exercises, scuba diving, and climbing an Ecuadoran volcano to prepare for the mission.

The crew’s tasks also include testing laser-based satellite communication between the spacecraft and the Starlink constellation. Additionally, they are conducting various experiments, such as testing contact lenses with embedded microelectronics to monitor changes in eye pressure and shape in space.

Polaris Dawn is the first of three missions under the Polaris program, a collaboration between Jared Isaacman and SpaceX. Isaacman, the 41-year-old CEO of Shift4Payments, invested heavily in these missions, having already led the 2021 all-civilian SpaceX Inspiration4 mission.

The final Polaris mission aims to take SpaceX’s Starship rocket on its first crewed flight—a pivotal step toward Elon Musk’s dream of colonizing Mars.