SpaceX Polaris Dawn creates history with commercial spacewalk

On September 12, SpaceX and Polaris Dawn mission made history by performing the first-ever commercial spacewalk or extravehicular activity (EVA) in Earth’s orbit.

The mission was launched on September 10 at 5:23 a.m. and completed several objectives prior to this main milestone. The Polaris Dawn crew has been in a pre-breathe shortly after arriving in space.

The Dragon spacecraft carried four astronauts including Mission Commander Jared Isaacman, Pilot Kidd Poteet, Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Medical Officer Anna Menon.

All crewmates have completed two days in orbit and reached the highest Earth orbit at 1400km. Then it reduced the orbit to a safe distance for a spacewalk. During EVA, the Dragon will remain in an elliptical orbit of 190 x 700km.

This helped them to prepare for the environment inside the EVA suits by gradually lowering Dragon’s cabin pressure and increasing the oxygen concentration.

The SpaceX-made EVA suits are designed with new materials, advanced processes, and joints to provide extra flexibility. The suit’s helmet has a visor to reduce glare and a head-up display (HUD) to show information such as the suit’s pressure, temperature, and relative humidity.

After opening Dragon’s hatch, all crew members exposed themselves to space vacuum. The mission commander and specialist separately exited out of Dragon for 12 minutes each and performed a series of suite mobility tests during the spacewalk. He was followed by Sarah Gillis to conduct similar tests.

Historic

Traditionally, spacewalks are conducted by government agencies led by NASA but this new step into orbit is likely to generate a whole new momentum in the commercial space domain.

Polaris Dawn and SpaceX also tested several new technologies for space travel including scientific research, satellite communication, and the new EVA suite. These will help the partners to understand and produce more opportunities for deep exploration.

Eventually, this achievement will attract other space industry players and enthusiasts to participate in planetary exploration projects and future missions.