The first ever commercially funded spacewalk mission, Crew Dragon – Polaris Dawn was launched 0923 GMT on 10 September 2024 by a Falcon 9v1.2 Block 5 rocket four private astronauts aboard. The mission was sponsored by billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman who flew on the flight. The B1083 first stage, on its fourth flight, landed on the drone barge Just Read the Instructions located in the Atlantic.
Polaris Dawn was initially launched into a 1,200 x 195 km orbit at 51.7 degrees inclination relative to the equatorial plane. After an in-orbit boost, the apogee was raised to 1,400 km. This apogee was unusually high for a crewed flight to low Earth orbit, not seen since the days of NASA’s Gemini programme in the mid-1960s. As a comparison, the highest of the Gemini flights, Gemini 11, achieved an apogee of 1,374 km. While this was planned as part of radiation research, the apogee of the Crew Dragon’s orbit was later reduced to 700 km orbit. This was ahead of the first ever privately performed spacewalk.
Astronaut Isaacman opens the Crew Dragon hatch out to space. Courtesy: SpaceX
After a depressurisation exercise the hatch was opened at 1049 GMT on 12 September 2024. Using a special spacesuit designed for EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity) astronauts Jared Isaacman and SpaceX employee Sarah Gillis took turns to hang out of the hatch holding a special rail. The remaining crew Anna Menon and Kidd Poteet remained in the capsule, conducting experiments. All the crew wore unbillacally connected space suits, as, like the Gemini missions, there is no airlock on board the Dragon spacecraft. Once the hatch was open, all the crew were subject to a vacuum and so needed protective pressure suits with an oxygen supply.
Isaacman was outside hatch for 7 minutes 56s; Gillis for about 7 minutes 15s. The hatch was closed 26 minutes 40 seconds later at 1116 GMT.
Jared Isaacman goes out into space on first ever commercial spacewalk during Crew Dragon – Polaris Dawn mission. Courtesy: SpaceX
