The First Private Spacewalk: A Historic Success

 A billionaire and an engineer have made history as the first non-professional crew to complete one of the most challenging tasks in space: a spacewalk. Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis exited the SpaceX spacecraft 15 minutes apart, starting at 11:52 BST, dressed in specially-designed suits.

"Back on Earth, we have plenty of work to do, but from here, Earth looks like a perfect world," Isaacman said as he stepped out. The mission, funded by Isaacman, marks a significant shift, as spacewalks were previously only conducted by astronauts from government-funded space agencies.

Live footage showed Isaacman and Gillis floating 435 miles (700 km) above Earth, emerging from the white Dragon capsule. Isaacman was the first to test his suit, flexing his limbs and returning to the hatch before Gillis, a SpaceX engineer, followed. The duo provided live commentary about the performance of their suits during the spacewalk.

The four-person Polaris Dawn crew includes Anna Menon, Sarah Gillis, Scott Poteet, and Jared Isaacman. The spacewalk, initially set for 07:23 BST, was delayed, heightening anticipation. The crew spent two days "pre-breathing" oxygen to avoid decompression sickness, also known as "the bends," as the spacecraft was depressurized to simulate space conditions.

Unlike previous missions from the International Space Station, this spacewalk took place in a Dragon capsule without an airlock. Dr. Simeon Barber from the Open University noted that SpaceX’s approach was unique, as the entire spacecraft was exposed to the space vacuum.

Isaacman, the only crew member with prior space experience, commanded the mission alongside Scott Poteet, a retired air force pilot, and SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis. Their Dragon capsule had previously completed 46 missions and transported 50 crew members.

The innovative EVA (extravehicular activity) suits, designed by SpaceX, featured heads-up displays in the helmets, which Gillis used to monitor her suit's performance. The mission broke a record for having the most people in the vacuum of space at once, with all four crew members wearing EVA suits equipped with extra nitrogen and oxygen tanks.

Launched on a SpaceX rocket, the Resilience spacecraft aimed to reach up to 870 miles (1,400 km) in orbit, the furthest humans have traveled since NASA’s Apollo missions in the 1970s. This private spacewalk marks a significant milestone for the commercialization of space, as private companies like SpaceX seek to lower the cost of space travel and make it accessible to non-professional astronauts. However, the high costs mean that widespread private space travel remains a distant goal.