SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn Mission Begins Tomorrow: Key Details About the First Commercial Spacewalk

Elon Musk's SpaceX is poised to make history with a groundbreaking mission featuring the first privately managed spacewalk. The ambitious Polaris Dawn mission is set to launch on August 27, 2024, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The six-day mission marks a significant advance in the privatisation of space exploration, as it will be the first spacewalk conducted without the participation of government astronauts. The Polaris Dawn mission will involve a crew of four SpaceX astronauts, led by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who will travel into Earth's orbit aboard a modified Crew Dragon capsule. Unlike previous spacewalks, this mission will see the entire capsule depressurised, requiring crew members to rely entirely on their spacesuits for survival. This challenging approach, along with the lack of an airlock, will push the limit. Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, is well-versed in space exploration. He previously led the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, the first all-civilian mission to orbit Earth, which he organised and primarily funded in partnership with SpaceX. For the Polaris Dawn mission, Isaacman will not only serve as the mission commander but also participate in the spacewalk.

Sarah Gillis, a senior space operations engineer at SpaceX, has joined him and played a crucial role in astronaut training for various SpaceX missions. A University of Colorado Boulder engineering graduate, Gillis began her career at SpaceX as an intern in 2015 and has since advanced through the ranks. Her role in training astronauts for safety and flight operations makes her an ideal choice for this mission. As a mission specialist, Gillis will also take part in the spacewalk.

The mission's pilot, Scott Poteet, brings extensive experience from his 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force, where he accumulated over 3,200 flight hours across various aircraft, including the F-16 fighter jet. In addition to piloting the Polaris Dawn, Poteet will support the spacewalk, manage communications, and work closely with mission control. He previously served as Mission Director for the Inspiration4 mission and was the vice president of strategy at Jared Isaacman's Shift4 company until 2022.

Anna Menon, a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX, will complete the crew as both a mission specialist and medical officer. Menon, who has a Master of Science degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University, is responsible for ensuring the crew's health and well-being throughout the mission. Her background as a NASA biomedical flight controller and her experience managing crew operations at SpaceX make her an invaluable member of the team.

As SpaceX advances the frontiers of space exploration, the Polaris Dawn mission marks a significant milestone in making space travel more accessible and sophisticated. If successful, it will set the stage for future missions that could propel humanity even further into the cosmos.