Private Astronauts of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn Complete Historic Spacewalk Mission with Splashdown
The crew of SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission emerged from their capsule with smiles and waves after a successful recovery on September 15, 2024. This historic mission, which included the first-ever private spacewalk among its achievements, made a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Florida at 3:36 a.m. EDT (0736 GMT).
Mission commander Jared Isaacman expressed gratitude upon their safe return, stating, “Polaris Dawn, we are mission complete. Thanks for all the big help pulling this mission together.” The crew’s return was witnessed by astronauts aboard the International Space Station, who had a unique view of the capsule reentering the Earth’s atmosphere.
### The Landmark Private Flight
Polaris Dawn, funded, organized, and commanded by billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, marked a significant milestone in private space exploration. This mission comes after Isaacman’s involvement in SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission in September 2021, the first-ever all-private crewed flight to Earth orbit. Originally scheduled for launch in 2022, Polaris Dawn faced delays due to the mission’s novelty and complexity.
One of the key challenges of the mission was the spacewalk, requiring SpaceX to develop and test its own extravehicular activity (EVA) suits and modify the Crew Dragon capsule, named Resilience, for the occasion. This included the installation of a new hatch structure called Skywalker, equipped with a ladder, handholds, and footholds.
### Achievements and Milestones
Polaris Dawn successfully launched on September 10, carrying Isaacman and three crewmates to Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The crew included former U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel Scott “Kidd” Poteet as the pilot, along with mission specialists Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both engineers at SpaceX.
In a groundbreaking moment, Resilience reached a maximum altitude of 870 miles (1,400.7 kilometers) on its first day in space, surpassing previous records for crewed Earth-orbiting spacecraft. This achievement also marked the farthest distance from Earth traveled by astronauts since the Apollo program.
During the mission, the crew conducted a historic spacewalk, with Isaacman and Gillis venturing outside the capsule to test SpaceX’s EVA suits. The spacewalk, which lasted nearly eight minutes for Isaacman and seven minutes and 15 seconds for Gillis, provided valuable insights for future missions to Earth orbit and beyond.
### Beyond the Spacewalk
While the spacewalk was a highlight of the mission, the Polaris Dawn crew also engaged in a variety of tasks during their five days in orbit. The mission carried 36 science experiments for 31 different institutions, contributing valuable data to NASA’s Human Research Program.
Additionally, Polaris Dawn tested the laser-communication capabilities of SpaceX’s Starlink broadband megaconstellation, demonstrating the potential for advanced communication technologies in space. The crew also participated in cultural and philanthropic activities, such as Menon’s orbital reading of the children’s book “Kisses From Space” to support St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Looking ahead, Polaris Dawn was the first of three planned missions in the Polaris Program, aiming to demonstrate operational capabilities for future human exploration missions to the moon, Mars, and beyond. With Flight 3 set to be the first crewed mission of SpaceX’s Starship Mars rocket, the program continues to push the boundaries of space exploration.
### Conclusion
The successful completion of the Polaris Dawn mission represents a significant milestone in private space exploration, showcasing the capabilities of private astronauts and SpaceX’s innovative technologies. As the crew smiles and waves after their recovery, the world watches in awe at the historic achievements of this groundbreaking mission.
