SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn Crew Just Completed the First Civilian Spacewalk

In order to pull off perhaps the riskiest part of the five-day mission, the four commercial astronauts, which included mission pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet and medical officer Anna Menon, on board required new extravehicular activity (EVA) suits to ensure their safety while being exposed to the vacuum of space. The suits, which Elon Musk‘s SpaceX unveiled in May 2024 after two years, were specially designed for spacewalks and feature a helmet with a built-in camera and heads-up display, in addition to a visor to reduce glare, new thermal management textiles, and greater mobility.  

The crew also had to partake in a two-day pre-breathe process prior to the spacewalk. According to the Polaris Program, it’s “designed to prevent decompression sickness by slowly acclimatizing the crew to lower pressures while slowly increasing oxygen levels within the spacecraft’s cabin.”

Once the preparations were complete, Isaacman was the first to exit the capsule. After he re-entered, it was Gillis’s turn to venture outside. The entire spacewalk lasted less than two hours and during that time, both Isaacman and Gillis were tasked with testing the capabilities of their pressurized suits while Poteet and Menon remained inside the cabin. 

So far, the Polaris Dawn mission has been a success. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Dragon capsule to a record altitude of 870 miles. The flight surpassed the 1966 record for non-lunar spaceflights and the Apollo 17 mission to the Moon in 1972. Now, it’s achieved another milestone with the completion of the first private spacewalk. Before returning to Earth, the crew still has some 40 experiments to conduct from testing wearable devices to gathering scientific data and sending communications by laser pulse. Once the five-day journey is complete, the SpaceX capsule is expected to splash down off the Florida coast.