The first U.S. spacewalk took place in 1965 aboard a Gemini capsule, following a procedure similar to the one planned for Polaris Dawn
A crew of four private astronauts is preparing for SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission, aiming to complete the first-ever private spacewalk. Led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, the crew includes retired Air Force pilot Scott Poteet and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. They are set to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at 3:38 a.m. ET on Tuesday, despite a 40% chance of favorable weather.
This mission, SpaceX’s fifth private spaceflight, faced delays due to a helium leak and a regulatory issue with the Falcon 9 booster. Now cleared for launch, the mission will last five days, reaching a maximum distance of 1,400 km from Earth—further than any humans have traveled since Apollo.
The highlight will be a 20-minute spacewalk on the third day at 700 km altitude. Unlike the ISS, Crew Dragon has no airlock, so the entire cabin will be depressurized. Isaacman and Gillis will exit the craft tethered by oxygen lines, while Poteet and Menon remain inside.
This mission, part of Isaacman’s Polaris program, serves as a precursor to future Crew Dragon and Starship missions. It will also conduct experiments on the effects of cosmic radiation on the human body. SpaceX has flown four private missions prior, while Boeing’s competing Starliner program has faced significant delays.