Jared Isaacman, a wealthy tech entrepreneur, conducted a groundbreaking spacewalk in collaboration with SpaceX, becoming the first non-professional astronaut to do so.
The spacewalk took place during a chartered flight to test SpaceX’s new spacesuits. Although the venture was considered risky, it was successfully completed within less than two hours.
NASA spacewalks usually last seven to eight hours and involve complex movements and repairs at the International Space Station.
Upon emerging from the capsule, Isaacman joined a select group of spacewalkers, primarily composed of professional astronauts from various countries.
The spacewalk was the primary focus of a five-day flight funded by Isaacman and Elon Musk’s company, representing a significant milestone in developing technology for interplanetary travel. With the new spacesuits, the astronauts were adequately protected from the space environment and carried out a series of movements to test the suits’ performance.
Following Isaacman’s exit, SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis also performed the spacewalk, continuing to test the functionality of the new spacesuits.
The commercial spacewalk was conducted at an orbit of 460 miles, a significant distance from Earth and the farthest any individual has travelled since NASA’s moon missions. Although there were minor issues, such as manual hatch handling and observed bulges in the hatch seal, the operation was meticulously planned and executed without major complications.
Isaacman, the 41-year-old CEO of Shift4, has not disclosed the financial investment behind the spaceflight, the first in a series of flights called Polaris.
Before this mission, 263 individuals from 12 different countries had completed spacewalks, making Isaacman’s feat a significant milestone in space exploration history.