First commercial spacewalk completed by SpaceX and Polaris Dawn crew

The first commercial spacewalk has been completed by SpaceX and Polaris Dawn crew members today. Two members of the four-member crew on board SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission have completed the first-ever commercial spacewalk.

Billionaire Jared Isaacman, 41, was the first to exit the space capsule at 10.52am GMT on Thursday. “Back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here Earth sure looks like a perfect world,” said Isaacman as he stood in the hatch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule.

Sarah Gillis, 30, a senior engineer at SpaceX followed Jared Isaacman and conducted movement tests in order to assess how the new SpaceX suit operated in the vacuum of space. The spacesuit was much less bulky when compared to the equipment of NASA.

The test was conducted at an altitude of 700km or 435 miles and the Crew Dragon capsule was completely depressurised for the procedure. This means that all four members relied on the oxygen and pressure present in their spacesuits. After Sarah Gillis closed the hatch of the capsule, the cabin was repressurized eventually. The other crew members were Scott Poteet, 50, a retired US air force lieutenant colonel and Anna Menon, 38, SpaceX engineer.

“The Polaris Dawn spacewalk is now complete, marking the first time commercial astronauts have completed a spacewalk from a commercial spacecraft! Congratulations to @rookisaacman, @Gillis_SarahE, @KiddPoteet, @annawmenon, and to all the SpaceX teams!,” said official tweet by SpaceX on X platform.

Bill Nelson, the NASA administrator congratulated the crew members through his official X handle, “Congratulations @PolarisProgram and @SpaceX on the first commercial spacewalk in history! Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and @NASA’s long-term goal to build a vibrant U.S. space economy.”