A billionaire astronaut and his team have successfully returned to Earth after participating in the inaugural private spacewalk.
Polaris Dawn, conducted by SpaceX on behalf of magnate Jared Isaacman, parachuted down at 8:37 AM today in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida’s Dry Tortugas amidst the predawn gloom.
Transporting four private individuals, including SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket was launched into orbit on Tuesday and remained in space for five days.
“Mission accomplished,” Isaacman stated via radio as the capsule floated in the water, awaiting the recovery team.
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Watch live: Billionaire Jared Isaacman who completed first-ever private spacewalk returns to Earth
While circling the Earth, Mission Commander Mr. Isaacman entered an elite group of spacewalkers, becoming the 264th individual to do so, where previously only professional astronauts from various nations were counted.
The SpaceX Polaris Dawn spacewalk was described as a “highly perilous mission,” orbited at an altitude of nearly 460 miles (740km) above the Earth—surpassing both the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope.
Read more: Drama of risky spacewalk was heightened as crew made do without airlock chamber
Pic: SpaceX
Mr. Isaacman established Shift4 Payments, a payment processing company, at the age of 16 and currently holds an estimated fortune of $1.9 billion (£1.45 billion).
This marked his second chartered voyage with SpaceX, with two additional flights planned under his self-financed space exploration initiative, titled Polaris (named after the North Star).
He paid an undisclosed amount for his initial journey into space in 2021, which involved contest winners and a pediatric cancer survivor, resulting in millions raised for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The SpaceX flight splashed down early this morning. Pic: SpaceX
In a live transmission sent back to Earth, speaking during the spacewalk, he could be heard stating: “Back at home, there’s a lot of work to be done. But from up here, Earth appears to be a perfect world.”
All four members of the Polaris Dawn team donned SpaceX’s innovative spacewalk suits for their protection, with a primary objective of the mission being the testing of these suits.
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The Polaris Dawn crew at the Kennedy Space Center, from left to right: Anna Menon, Scott Kidd Poteet, Jared Isaacman, and Sarah Gillis. Photo by EyePress News/Shutterstock
Pic: SpaceX
The astronauts engaged in their spacewalk for approximately 15 minutes, sequentially exiting through the hatch. While attached to the spacecraft and with their feet preserved inside, they performed a series of stretches to evaluate their suits.
Mission pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet and mission specialist and medical officer Ms. Menon remained in their seats, overseeing the critical support systems throughout the mission.
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