On September 12, the Polaris Dawn crew conducted the first-ever spacewalk from the Dragon spacecraft at 738 km above Earth. The spacewalk, or extravehicular activity (EVA), marked a significant milestone in commercial spaceflight.
The crew began preparing for the EVA shortly after liftoff with a two-day pre-breathe process to prevent decompression sickness by adjusting to lower pressures and increasing oxygen levels inside the cabin. Preparations included donning EVA suits, conducting suit leak checks, and venting Dragon down to a vacuum.
After opening the hatch, the Polaris Dawn crew became the first four astronauts to be exposed to the vacuum of space simultaneously. Commander Jared Isaacman and Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis exited the spacecraft, performing tests on suit mobility, thermal systems, and the Dragon mobility aid “Skywalker.” They completed the tasks within 20 minutes before returning to the cabin and closing the hatch.
“SpaceX, back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world,” said Mission Commander @rookisaacman during Dragon egress and seeing our planet from about 738 km in space.
SpaceX and the Polaris Dawn crew have completed the first commercial spacewalk!
“SpaceX, back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world.” — Mission Commander @rookisaacman during Dragon egress and seeing our planet from ~738 km pic.twitter.com/lRczSv5i4k
— Polaris (@PolarisProgram) September 12, 2024
“Building a base on the Moon and a city on Mars will require thousands of spacesuits. The development of this suit, and the EVA performed on this mission, will be important steps toward a scalable design for spacesuits on future long-duration missions,” said SpaceX on Thursday morning.
Following the re-pressurization of Dragon, the crew removed their EVA suits, successfully completing the first commercial spacewalk and the first EVA from a Dragon spacecraft.
Seeing both spacewalks literally brought chills. This is so amazing and incredible, we can’t wait to see what’s next for space exploration.
The Polaris Dawn mission marks the first human spaceflight for Mission Pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. Mission Commander Jared Isaacman previously commanded the Inspiration4 mission. This mission is also notable for including two SpaceX employees, providing critical insights for future missions aimed at advancing human space exploration.
