SpaceX’s mission aims to test Elon Musk’s first space suits designed for the vacuum of space.
More than 1.2 million users on the social media platform X tuned in on Thursday to watch the historic first spacewalk by non-professional astronauts. The event was reported by AFP, citing SpaceX. Jared Isaacman was the first to venture into open space, followed by Sarah Gillis, both members of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission.
The other two mission members, pilot Scott Poteet and SpaceX employee Anna Menon, remained aboard the Dragon capsule to ensure everything went according to plan.
Because the spacecraft lacks an airlock, the entire crew was exposed to the vacuum of space when the hatch was opened. One of the main goals of the mission was to test Elon Musk’s brand-new space suits, designed for survival in the vacuum. The suits, white and futuristic in appearance, are connected to the spacecraft by cables that provide astronauts with oxygen. To move outside the spacecraft, the astronauts used a device called Skywalker, located at the front of the capsule, which consists of rods they can hold onto for support.
The planned spacewalk was expected to last about two hours—much shorter than typical spacewalks performed by astronauts from the International Space Station, who often carry out technically challenging tasks.
Jared Isaacman, 41, the founder of the electronic payment company Shift4, is funding the entire Polaris mission, just as he did for his Inspiration4 mission with SpaceX in 2021. Although the cost of Polaris remains undisclosed, it is believed to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
