• Polaris Dawn Commander Performs Historic Spacewalk, Marking Private Spaceflight Milestone

  • Sep 16 2024
  • Length: 2 mins
  • Podcast

Polaris Dawn Commander Performs Historic Spacewalk, Marking Private Spaceflight Milestone

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  • Summary

  • In a remarkable feat contributing to the history of human space exploration, Jared Isaacman, the commander of Polaris Dawn, a SpaceX Crew Dragon mission, became the 264th person to perform a spacewalk. This milestone event reflects the increasing involvement of private entities like SpaceX in ventures that were once the exclusive domain of national space agencies.

    A spacewalk, also known as an extravehicular activity or EVA, is when an astronaut exits their spacecraft while in orbit and performs tasks outside their vehicle while in space. The first spacewalk was performed by Alexei Leonov, a Soviet astronaut, in 1965. Isaacman's spacewalk marks significant progress not only because of the act itself but also due to the changing landscape of space exploration which now includes commercial spaceflight participants alongside traditional astronauts.

    SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars, has been pivotal in the commercial spaceflight industry. The company has developed several successful launch vehicles and the Dragon spacecraft, which has supplied the International Space Station (ISS) under contract with NASA.

    Isaacman's spacewalk under the Polaris program, which aims to push the boundaries of current spacecraft technologies and human capabilities in space, demonstrates the evolving synergy between government space entities and private sector innovators. The program also focuses on gathering scientific data that could support future long-duration human spaceflights, crucial for missions to the Moon and Mars.

    As private companies like SpaceX continue to participate actively in space exploration, they not only expand opportunities for scientific advancements and commercial utilization of space but also inspire a new generation of engineers, scientists, and astronauts. The collaboration between national space agencies and private enterprises is likely to intensify, pushing forward the boundaries of human achievements in space.
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