SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn Mission to Include First Privately Managed Spacewalk

A four-person crew for SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission has arrived in Florida, preparing for their launch to space on 26 August. This mission is set to be historic, featuring the first privately managed spacewalk—a feat previously accomplished only by government astronauts.

A Pioneering Crew and Rigorous Training

The Polaris Dawn crew consists of a billionaire entrepreneur, a retired military fighter pilot, and two SpaceX employees. These individuals have undergone over two years of intensive training for the mission. During their time in Earth’s orbit, they will perform a tethered spacewalk, marking a significant milestone in private space exploration.

The mission will test SpaceX’s new astronaut spacesuits, a critical component of the company’s broader ambitions. Elon Musk’s SpaceX continues to push the boundaries of commercial spaceflight, with this mission being another step towards the ultimate goal of establishing colonies on Mars.

Mission Commander Jared Isaacman, CEO of Shift4 Payments and head of the SpaceX-affiliated Polaris programme, emphasised the importance of these pioneering efforts. “Whatever risk associated with it, it is worth it,” Isaacman remarked during a news conference. He underscored that such missions could profoundly impact humanity’s future, adding that “there has to be some first steps in this direction.”

Financial Investment and Technological Innovation

Isaacman is funding the mission and others under the Polaris programme. While he has not disclosed the total expenditure, it is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. SpaceX’s Vice President, Bill Gerstenmaier, mentioned that the financial investment into the development of the new spacesuits was a collaborative effort between the Polaris team and SpaceX.

The launch is scheduled for 3:38 a.m. ET (0738 GMT) on 26 August from SpaceX’s launchpad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission will last six days, with the spacewalk, formally known as Extravehicular Activity (EVA), planned for the third day.

A New Era in Space Exploration

The rest of the Polaris Dawn crew includes Scott Poteet, a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and mission pilot who also participated in the Inspiration4 mission. SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both Lead Space Operations Engineers, will serve as mission specialists.

Given that the Crew Dragon capsule lacks an airlock, the entire cabin will need to be depressurised before the spacewalk. This means all four astronauts will be testing the new spacesuits, although only Isaacman and Gillis will venture outside the spacecraft.

Historically, only government astronauts from countries such as the US, Russia, Canada, and China have conducted spacewalks. Since the year 2000, over 270 spacewalks have taken place outside the International Space Station (ISS) using American and Russian spacesuits.

Gerstenmaier, who was NASA’s human spaceflight chief until 2020, acknowledged the risks but expressed confidence in the mission’s preparedness. “EVA is a risky adventure. But again, we did all the work to really get ready for this,” he stated. He added that SpaceX has built upon NASA’s legacy while also extending it further.

SpaceX has consistently sought to achieve new milestones in privately funded spaceflights. The first mission led by Isaacman, Inspiration4, in 2021, was the first all-civilian, privately funded flight into Earth’s orbit. SpaceX has also announced plans to launch the first crew to orbit the Earth pole-to-pole next year, featuring a multinational team.