On Thursday, a crew of four aboard a SpaceX capsule made history by embarking on the world’s first private spacewalk. Billionaire Jared Isaacman, 41, became the first non-professional astronaut to step into the vacuum of space, followed by SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis, 30. The crew’s mission, known as Polaris Dawn, was part of a private spaceflight endeavor led by Isaacman, marking a significant milestone for private space exploration.
Isaacman exited the spacecraft at approximately 6:52 a.m. ET (10:52 GMT) as the capsule flew over Antarctica and Australia. His first words upon emerging into space were, “Back at home we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world,” with the planet glittering beneath him. His awe was captured in real-time as the event was livestreamed on SpaceX’s website. Spectacular images showed Isaacman testing his spacesuit and performing a series of tasks during his time outside the spacecraft. Shortly after Isaacman completed his spacewalk, Gillis took her turn, stepping into space while the world watched.
Jared Isaacman is not only a space enthusiast but also the founder and CEO of Shift4, a payment processing company he started from his parents’ basement when he was just 16 years old. After dropping out of high school to work as a cybersecurity consultant, he used a $10,000 loan from his grandfather to secure a deal with a bank to sell credit card terminals. Shift4 has since grown into a multibillion-dollar business, processing transactions for about a third of America’s restaurants and hotels, handling more than $200 billion in payments each year.
Isaacman’s passion for space led him to approach Elon Musk in 2021 with the idea of purchasing a private passenger flight to orbit. This resulted in the Inspiration4 mission, the first orbital spaceflight crewed entirely by civilians. Now, Isaacman is leading the Polaris Dawn mission, pushing the boundaries of private space exploration further.
After the spacewalk, the crew members, including Isaacman and Gillis, completed their post-operation procedures and began transitioning back into the spacecraft. Mission control reported that the capsule’s atmosphere remained stable, allowing the crew to rotate back to their original positions. This successful mission marks another step forward for private space travel, with the Polaris Dawn team continuing to break new ground in human spaceflight.
