Sept 12 (CNN/GNA) – A four-person crew of civilians on board SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission unlocked the hatch of their capsule and made history as the first group of non-government astronauts to conduct a spacewalk.
SpaceX hosted a live webcast of the event — also known as an extravehicular activity (EVA) — which kicked off at 6:12 a.m. ET.
The entire SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle propelling and protecting the crew was depressurized and exposed to the vacuum of space — a dangerous and historic milestone in the Polaris Dawn crew’s five-day journey through Earth’s orbit. The mission has already set records, traveling farther into space than any human since NASA’s Apollo program concluded more than 50 years ago.
The crewmates — which includes Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman, Polaris Dawn’s financer; his close friend and former US Air Force pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet; and SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis — had prepared for this spacewalk since taking flight at 5:23 a.m. ET Tuesday.
The team slowly underwent what’s called a “pre-breathe” process, a step intended to purge their blood of nitrogen to prevent the gas from bubbling — a potentially lethal condition — as they experienced the vacuum of space.
Isaacman exited the capsule first just before 7 a.m. ET.
He walked up a mobility aid — essentially a ladder that SpaceX has dubbed “skywalker” — to venture into the endless void and took in the views.
“Back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here — looks like a perfect world,” Isaacman said.
Gillis and Isaacman were the only two crewmembers to actually exit the spacecraft, and they did so for a combined total of roughly 20 minutes.
Gillis exited the capsule for about 10 minutes after Isaacman returned to his seat. She spent her time outside wiggling around in her spacesuit — as expected — to help test out its mobility.
Developing spacesuits that fit and function more like normal clothes than the highly restrictive and puffy white suits that have been used during spacewalks of the past is a key goal for SpaceX.
But the cabin’s windows still afforded incredible views for the entire crew, providing mind-blowing glimpses of Earth whisking by below. The Polaris Dawn crew can see a sunrise and sunset about every 106 minutes.
“It is honestly one of my favorite views,” Mennon said. “The sun peaks over the horizon and the whole world just lights up — or the whole world goes to sleep. And you just get to witness this hour after hour, and it’s so beautiful. Our Earth is so beautiful.”
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson offered his congratulations after the spacewalk in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Congratulations @PolarisProgram and @SpaceX on the first commercial spacewalk in history!” Nelson wrote. “Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and @NASA’s long-term goal to build a vibrant U.S. space economy.”
Though the crew previously reached a peak altitude of more than 1,400 kilometers (870 miles), the spacewalk occurred while their vehicle traveled between 190 and 700 kilometers above Earth (118 to 435 miles).
GNA/Credit: CNN