SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule is the setting for a groundbreaking event as it hosts the first-ever private spacewalk, marking a significant milestone in commercial spaceflight. The event is part of the Polaris Dawn mission, which launched from Florida early Tuesday morning and includes a diverse team: a billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military fighter pilot, and two senior SpaceX engineers.
Scheduled to commence at 2:23 a.m. ET (0623 GMT) on Thursday, the spacewalk will see two members of the crew exit the spacecraft while tethered for safety, as they orbit Earth at an altitude of 700 km (435 miles). The remaining crew members will oversee the operation from within the depressurized capsule, dependent entirely on the new, streamlined SpaceX spacesuits for oxygen.
The mission is financed by Jared Isaacman, 41, founder of Shift4 and an experienced pilot. Although Isaacman has not disclosed the financial details of the mission, the estimated costs run into hundreds of millions, considering the Crew Dragon’s seat price of approximately $55 million. His previous venture, Inspiration4 in 2021, also under the SpaceX banner, set the groundwork for this ambitious endeavor.
Joining Isaacman on this mission are Scott Poteet, 50, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and mission pilot, along with SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis, 30, and Anna Menon, 38. Isaacman and Gillis will perform the extravehicular activities, while Poteet and Menon will support from inside the capsule.
This mission not only pushes the envelope on commercial space travel but also serves as a critical research opportunity, adding to the body of knowledge on human health in space gathered by government astronauts over decades on the International Space Station (ISS). Since its inception in 2000, the ISS has hosted approximately 270 spacewalks, and this mission aims to extend this legacy into the realm of private space exploration.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon remains the only U.S. craft that has consistently delivered humans to orbit and back since 2021, primarily serving NASA missions. This launch parallels Boeing’s Starliner, which also emerged from NASA’s commercial crew program but faced challenges during its recent test missions to the ISS.
