WATCH: SpaceX Polaris Dawn Astronauts Conduct First Private Spacewalk

Astronauts Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis will EVA for about two hours

WATCH: SpaceX Polaris Dawn astronauts will conduct the first-ever of private Spacewalk, beginning early Thursday morning at 2:23 a.m. ET. Coverage of the EVA will begin about 1:30 a.m. ET.

Astronauts Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis will EVA for about two hours while shipmates Scott Poteet and Anna Menon will stay aboard the spacecraft.

Unlike the ISS, the Dragon capsule doesn’t have an airlock, so its entire interior of the spacecraft undergo the vacuum of space and all four astronauts will wear the new SpaceX EVA spacesuits.

The astronauts will keep constant contact with Dragon spacecraft at all times during the EVA.

“We’re just not going to be just floating around,” Isaacman said.

The main goal of the spacewalk is to test the new SpaceX suits, which the company developed in house and aims to use on a variety of missions to Earth orbit and beyond.

Isaacman said it is a huge honor to have that opportunity to test it out on the flight.

POLARIS DAWN SPACEWALK

On Thursday, September 12, the Polaris Dawn crew will attempt the first-ever spacewalk – also known as an extravehicular activity (EVA) – from Dragon. The EVA is targeted to start at 5:58 a.m. ET. If needed, a backup opportunity is available on Friday, September 13. A live webcast will begin about one hour prior to the start of the spacewalk, which you can watch live on spacex.com and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app. SPACEWALK OVERVIEW While traveling in an elliptical orbit of ~190 x 700 km around the Earth, the Polaris Dawn crew will complete a pre-breathe process, perform suited mobility tests and inspections, and initiate pressurization checkouts prior to performing a final suit leak check and committing to the spacewalk. Dragon’s cabin pressure will slowly lower to vacuum prior to hatch opening. Once opened, all four crewmembers will be exposed to the vacuum of space. Mission Commander Jared Isaacman (EV1) will exit Dragon, perform a series of mobility tests in the newly-designed SpaceX EVA suit, and return to Dragon’s cabin. Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis (EV2) will peform the same series of actions and, after re-entering Dragon, close the spacecraft’s hatch. Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon will monitor vital support systems throughout the operation. After hatch closure, Dragon will slowly repressurize while oxygen and nitrogen levels return to normal. The entire spacewalk operation is expected to take approximately two hours.

ABOVE VIDEO: SpaceX to launch Polaris Dawn astronauts on first commercial spacewalk mission

BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA – SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, September 10 at 3:38 a.m. ET for Falcon 9’s launch of Polaris Dawn to low-Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

There are two additional launch opportunities within the four-hour window at 5:23 a.m. ET and 7:09 a.m. ET.

If needed, backup opportunities are available on Wednesday, September 11 at the same times.

Coverage of the launch can be seen on Space Coast Daily TV.

The Dragon spacecraft supporting this mission previously flew Crew-1 to and from the International Space Station, and Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit.

This will be the fourth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-8 and two Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

MISSION OBJECTIVES

During their multi-day mission to orbit, Dragon and the crew will endeavor to reach the highest Earth orbit ever flown since the Apollo program and participate in the first-ever extravehicular activity (EVA) by commercial astronauts wearing SpaceX-developed EVA suits. They will also conduct 36 research studies and experiments from 31 partner institutions designed to advance both human health on Earth and during long-duration spaceflight, and test Starlink laser-based communications in space.

The Polaris Dawn crew will combine their expertise, knowledge, and passion for spaceflight to further human space exploration. This will be the first human spaceflight for Mission Pilot Kidd Poteet, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Anna Menon. Mission Commander Jared Isaacman previously flew to space as commander of Inspiration4. This will also be the first time two SpaceX employees will be part of a human spaceflight crew, providing valuable insight to future missions on the road to making life multiplanetary.

Similar Stories