SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew conducts first-ever commercial spacewalk

On September 12 at 11:58 UTC, SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn crew accomplished a historic feat by conducting the first commercial spacewalk from a spaceship. This extravehicular activity (EVA) used SpaceX’s newly built EVA suits. 

The mission commander, Jared Isaacman, remarked on X during Dragon egress and seeing Earth from 738 km (459 miles) away, “SpaceX, back at home, we sure have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world.”

The EVA was conducted at approximately 738 km (459 miles). The Dragon spacecraft’s elliptical orbit also achieved a maximum altitude of 1 408 km (875 miles), breaking the previous Earth-orbit altitude record held by Gemini 11, which is 1 373 km (853 miles).

The mission preparation included a pre-breathe phase to accustom the crew to the low-pressure space environment. This procedure was designed to prevent decompression sickness, or “the bends,” by gradually acclimating the astronauts to the lower space pressures. 

Inside the spacecraft, cabin pressure was gradually lowered while oxygen levels were increased. This process allowed the crew’s bodies to adjust to the vacuum conditions they would encounter during the spacewalk. Each astronaut spent around 12 minutes on the spacewalk. 

Before the spacewalk, the crew donned their newly designed SpaceX EVA suits. After the suits were prepared, the Dragon spacecraft was vented to near-vacuum conditions. The cabin pressure was dropped around four psi, and more venting brought it closer to the vacuum of space. After achieving the desired pressure, the hatch was opened. This marked the first time four astronauts were simultaneously exposed to the vacuum of space.

With the hatch open, commander Jared Isaacman and Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis individually evacuated the spacecraft to conduct a series of tests to assess the performance of their new EVA suits and the Dragon mobility aid “Skywalker.” Meanwhile, Mission Pilot Poteet and Mission Specialist Menon kept an eye on the operation inside Dragon.

SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission featured a team of astronauts, notably Mission Commander Jared Isaacman, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. 

This mission marks the first spaceflight for Poteet, Gillis, and Menon, while Isaacman previously commanded the Inspiration4 mission. This is the first time SpaceX employees have been part of a human spaceflight crew.

SpaceX’s newly constructed EVA suit was designed to withstand the unique demands of space. SpaceX stated on X, “Dragon’s cabin pressure is now 14.6 psi and the nitrox washout is complete.” Before the EVA, the spacecraft underwent several operations, including reducing cabin pressure and doing leak inspections. 

The mission aimed to improve commercial space exploration while testing new technology for future missions. SpaceX stated, “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.” 

“The Polaris Dawn spacewalk is now complete, marking the first time commercial astronauts have completed a spacewalk from a commercial spacecraft!” SpaceX remarked on X, congratulating the astronauts and the SpaceX team.

References:

¹ Polaris Dawn – SpaceX – Accessed September 12, 2024