Private Astronauts Complete First Commercial Spacewalk in SpaceX Suits
A four-person crew achieves the first-ever commercial spacewalk during the Polaris Dawn mission, testing new lightweight spacesuits designed by SpaceX.
A crew of four private astronauts makes history by completing the first commercial spacewalk during the Polaris Dawn mission. Mission commander Jared Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis take turns exiting the SpaceX Dragon capsule to test the company's newly designed spacesuits in the vacuum of space.
Because the Dragon capsule lacks an airlock, the entire spacecraft undergoes depressurization and all four crew members don the SpaceX suits before the hatch opens. Isaacman and Gillis each spend less than ten minutes outside the vehicle, using a special mobility ladder called a "skywalker" while remaining tethered to the spacecraft by umbilical cords.
The new SpaceX spacesuits are notably lighter and more mobile than the bulky suits traditionally used by NASA, largely because they eliminate the heavy life-support backpack. The successful spacewalk marks a major milestone for the five-day mission, proving that private companies can safely execute complex operations outside of a spacecraft.