SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission has set a new milestone. For the first time, civilians have performed a spacewalk 737 kilometers above Earth. This remarkable achievement comes 50 years after the Apollo missions. Mission Commander Jared Isaacman conducted the first spacewalk in a new advanced pressurized suit. See its historic video below...
Four individuals journeyed into space aboard the Dragon Crew Capsule as part of the Polaris Dawn mission. Their names are Commander Jared Isaacman, Pilot Scott 'Kidd' Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon. Isaacman, an entrepreneur, is also funding the mission.
Poteet is a former Lieutenant Colonel of the US Air Force. Meanwhile, both Gillis and Menon are SpaceX engineers. Isaacman and Gillis performed the private spacewalk for the first time at an altitude of approximately 737 kilometers. This is the highest crewed mission since the Apollo era, as it reached an altitude of 1400 kilometers. Poteet, Gillis, and Menon made their first space flight on this mission, while Isaacman had previously traveled to space in the Inspiration 4 mission in September 2021.
The Polaris Dawn mission was initially scheduled for launch on August 26, but was postponed due to issues found during pre-flight checks. The August 27 launch was also delayed due to helium leaks. Plans for the 28th were scrapped due to unfavorable weather conditions. SpaceX announced on its X handle that the weather near the ocean where the Dragon spacecraft was set to splashdown was not suitable. Consequently, the launch was postponed, and it finally launched on September 10, 2024. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral with the help of a Falcon-9 rocket.
