In a groundbreaking moment for commercial spaceflight, billionaire Jared Isaacman successfully led the world's first private spacewalk on Thursday.
The historic extravehicular activity (EVA) took place approximately 700 kilometers above Earth's surface, marking a significant milestone in the Polaris Dawn mission.
Isaacman, the 41-year-old founder of Shift4 Payments and commander of the mission, exited the Crew Dragon spacecraft after a series of checks to begin the unprecedented spacewalk. He was followed shortly after by Sarah Gillis, a SpaceX engineer and fellow crew member.
The primary objective of the spacewalk was to test SpaceX's newly developed EVA suits, which are designed for future long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars.
Isaacman conducted a series of mobility tests, carefully moving his arms, hands, and legs through various positions to assess the suit's flexibility and comfort in the vacuum of space.
The spacewalkers remained tethered to the spacecraft at all times, using a specially designed "Skywalker" handrail system for stability.
The EVA had a window of approximately two hours from start to finish, including the depressurisation and repressurisation of the Crew Dragon capsule. Both Isaacman and Gillis spent about 12 minutes each outside the spacecraft, while their crewmates Scott Poteet and Anna Menon monitored operations from inside.
This achievement represents a significant step forward in SpaceX's ambitions for commercial space exploration. The successful test of the new spacesuits brings the company closer to its goal of enabling human missions beyond low Earth orbit.
The Polaris Dawn mission, the first of three planned flights in the Polaris program, has already set records by reaching the highest Earth orbit since the Apollo era. As the mission continues, the crew will conduct further scientific experiments and push the boundaries of commercial spaceflight.
With this historic spacewalk, Isaacman and his team have demonstrated the growing capabilities of private space ventures, potentially opening new frontiers in space exploration and research.
Source: India Today