For the first time, a team of private astronauts has successfully conducted an audacious orbital maneuver that was once exclusively the realm of government astronauts.

In the early hours of Thursday, the Polaris Dawn mission crew donned custom-made SpaceX suits to brave the vacuum of space from about 435 miles above Earth. When billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and SpaceX employee Sarah Gillis stepped outside their SpaceX Dragon capsule, they became the first commercial astronauts to accomplish such a feat.

Due to the absence of an airlock in the Dragon, the other two crew members, Anna Menon and Scott “Kidd” Poteet, were also subjected to space conditions even though they remained inside the vehicle.

This groundbreaking private spacewalk occurred on the third day of the five-day Polaris Dawn mission, which Isaacman is both commanding and financially supporting alongside SpaceX. This mission is the first of three designed under the Polaris Program, aimed at testing technologies that could potentially make SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s vision of manned missions to Mars a reality.

When the mission launched on Tuesday, the SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the astronauts reached a higher altitude than any spacecraft has in over 50 years, eclipsing the height attained by NASA’s Gemini 11 missions in the 1970s, as reported by SpaceX.

“This remarkable achievement is made possible by the dedication of the crew and numerous SpaceX teams, all working toward the goal of making humanity a multiplanetary species,” said Stu Keech, vice president of Dragon at SpaceX, in a statement.

Two astronauts exit SpaceX Dragon for a commercial spacewalk

The astronauts started preparations for the spacewalk after entering orbit on Tuesday.

Shortly after launch, the Dragon’s pressure began to gradually decrease while the oxygen levels inside the cabin rose, facilitating the removal of nitrogen from the crew members’ systems. This protocol was set to ready the astronauts for the spacewalk and reduce the chances of decompression sickness, according to SpaceX.

After the spacecraft reached an altitude of around 870 miles above Earth, it adjusted to a stable orbit approximately 435 miles above the planet for the spacewalk.

When it was time to conduct the maneuver around 6 a.m. Thursday, Isaacman was the first to venture out of the Dragon and into the vastness of space. As he stepped from the forward hatch, the experienced pilot took in the breathtaking view.

“From up here, Earth looks like a perfect world,” Isaacman remarked as the team on the ground erupted in applause during the livestream.

Shortly after, Gillis followed him, using the “Skywalker” ladder at the top of the capsule to experience space for the first time. Gillis, an engineer responsible for astronaut training at SpaceX, was participating with the additional goal of acquiring crucial experience to train future astronauts, according to SpaceX officials.

Following this, Gillis was able to re-enter the vehicle and securely close the hatch so that the crew could start repressurizing the cabin.

Timeline of the spacewalk

Here’s a timeline detailing how the Polaris Dawn spacewalk took place on Thursday morning.

1:35 a.m.: SpaceX announces that the spacewalk has been postponed from its initial start time of approximately 2 a.m. and will now begin at 5:58 a.m. EDT, with no reason given for the delay.

5:14 a.m.: The crew puts on their spacesuits to prepare for the cabin to adjust to the vacuum of space. While Isaacman and Gillis check the mobility of their suits outside the capsule, Poteet and Menon remain seated and ready to assist.

5:25 a.m.: The crew conducts communication checks.

5:55 a.m.: The crew prepares for seat rotation to allow for more space to maneuver.

6:00 a.m.: The SpaceX suits are equipped with a heads-up display providing information in the visors, showing data like oxygen levels and temperatures. They have roughly one hour and 50 minutes to finalize the spacewalk. Live views from the spacecraft are also available, with helmet cameras showcasing the crew’s perspective.

6:09 a.m.: SpaceX gives the green light to commence the spacewalk. The crew’s spacesuits begin to pressurize.

6:12 a.m.: The spacewalk officially initiates.

6:22 a.m.: The crew completes their last pre-breath operations to mitigate the risk of decompression sickness.

6:30 a.m.: The cabin is vented, transitioning the Dragon to vacuum. According to SpaceX, the crew will take about eight minutes to match the vacuum of space. For the first time ever, all four crew members will technically be participating in a spacewalk.

6:50 a.m.: Isaacman opens the hatch, getting ready to step outside.

7:00 a.m.: Isaacman returns inside to let Gillis exit via the Skywalker.

7:04 a.m.: Gillis notices part of the hatch’s seal has come loose but is assured by SpaceX that it can be easily put back.

7:06 a.m.: Sarah Gillis steps outside to test her spacesuit. SpaceX staff cheer as one of their own performs a spacewalk.

7:14 a.m.: Gillis remarks that the seal is bulging again. She readjusts it and gets ready to secure the hatch.

7:16 a.m.: The Dragon hatch has been closed and sealed, allowing the spacecraft to be pressurized. SpaceX states this will approximately take an hour.

7:30 a.m.: Oxygen is introduced into the cabin. Nitrox, a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, will be added to the suits shortly to transition the crew from a pure oxygen environment.

7:40 a.m.: The cabin is still pressurizing without any detected leaks. This process is gradual, similar to scuba diving, where safety stops are necessary to avoid putting excess strain on the body.

7:55 a.m.: The Dragon spacecraft has returned to a familiar pressure level for the astronauts. They can now remove their EVA suits, signifying the conclusion of the spacewalk.

All 4 Polaris Dawn astronauts exposed to the vacuum of space

Traditionally, spacewalks have been exclusive to government astronauts like those from NASA and Russian agencies. Furthermore, these activities usually occur within crafts equipped with airlocks.

However, since the Dragon spacecraft lacks an airlock, the entire craft had to be depressurized when the hatch was opened, which exposed all crew members to the vacuum of space. Therefore, even mission specialists Menon and pilot Poteet had to wear SpaceX-designed extravehicular activity (EVA) suits that provide oxygen through tethers.

Historically, spacewalks haven’t been pursued commercially, and participants have used government-regulated spacesuits.

This instance is fully managed by SpaceX. The purpose of the operation, which took around two hours, was to assess the suit’s functionality that the company designed for this mission.

Nasa is not involved aside from providing a launch site at Kennedy Space Center for the Polaris Dawn mission. However, after the groundbreaking spacewalk, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson took to X to congratulate SpaceX and the crew.

“Today’s achievement signifies a major advancement for the commercial space industry and aligns with NASA’s goal to foster a thriving U.S. space economy,” Nelson noted in his post.

What is the Polaris Dawn mission?

Polaris Dawn marks the first of three human spaceflight missions within the Polaris Program, designed to test SpaceX technologies vital for human exploration of outer space.

Isaacman, the founder of Shift4 Payment, is the only crew member of Polaris Dawn with prior experience in space. Menon and Gillis are not only the first SpaceX employees to travel to space but have also reached greater heights than any other women in history.

The team has already been testing a new laser-based satellite communication system using Starlink technology.

In addition to the spacewalk, the crew is conducting nearly 40 scientific experiments aimed at studying how the human body adapts to extended spaceflights, as NASA and other space organizations target missions to places like Mars.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is set to return the Polaris Dawn astronauts to Earth on Sunday, landing off the coast of Florida.