"Looks like a perfect world:" SpaceX Polaris Dawn spacewalk achieved space industry first

"SpaceX, back at home we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, Earth looks like a perfect world."

That's what Polaris Dawn commander Jared Isaacman said as he became the first private citizen to conduct a spacewalk early Thursday. SpaceX's live stream footage broadcast exactly what Isaacman was seeing: stunning views of the blue Earth below him.

As Isaacman spoke, SpaceX mission control in Hawthorne, California erupted into cheers. The first spacewalk by private astronauts, using a private company's spacesuits, had finally happened.

Isaacman slowly maneuvered himself on the Dragon's skywalker ? a handrail system installed on the spacecraft right outside the hatch. This is where the cupola window that was seen on the Inspiration4 mission in 2021 ? which was also commanded by Isaacman in this very Dragon spacecraft ? was located.

As Isaacman made history, SpaceX astronauts Anna Menon and Scott Poteet remained fully suited but strapped into their seats. Because the Dragon doesn't have an airlock, the entire cabin was depressurized and open to the vacuum of space.

SpaceX astronaut Sarah Gillis was lightly strapped and ready for her turn to head outside. Gillis is a SpaceX engineer and astronaut trainer for the company.

Shortly after his roughly 10 minute spacewalk, Isaacman returned to the spacecraft. Minutes later, Gillis ventured outside to continue testing the functionality of the SpaceX spacesuit, known as an EVA (extravehicular activity a.k.a spacewalk) suit.

"Going to stand in the door, and step outside," Gillis said to mission control during the SpaceX live stream.

Gillis mentioned some seals had popped out on the Dragon hatch, but the SpaceX team said they had anticipated this due to pressure changes. The fix was simple ? just pop them back into place.

As Gillis finished her spacewalk and slid back into the Dragon spacecraft, she fixed the hatch seal and shut it closed. After a slow re-pressurization of the spacecraft, the historic spacewalk was officially complete.

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SpaceX Polaris Dawn sees first spacewalk by private company

As Isaacman led his crew through the steps, SpaceX commentators spoke about how the crew's training came into play. There was no tested model to go on ? this is the first time these spacesuits have been in the vacuum of space. Yet as Isaacman and Gillis tested the suits in the vacuum of space, they commented on how it felt similar to the training on the ground.

Not having the option of a training suit, SpaceX had to get creative. Gillis and Menon previously spoke to FLORIDA TODAY, and explained that SpaceX used harnesses to offset the force of gravity during their training. They also tested these spacesuits in a vacuum chamber to ensure they were ready for the environment of space.

And it was essential that these suits were all ready. In order to open the hatch, the entire spacecraft had to be depressurized ? all four crew members were exposed to the vacuum of space with just a bit of air flowing from the spacecraft. This marked the first time four people left the safety of the spacecraft behind, as while Menon and Poteet remained inside the entire time, the spacecraft was completely unpressurized. This left all four relying on their spacesuits to keep them alive. Traditionally NASA, the Russian space agency, and the Chinese space agency, only see two spacewalkers at a time ? only the airlock section of the space station or spacecraft is unpressurized.

Safety operations were in play, as multiple suit leak checks were preformed. Once the spacewalk was complete, the spacecraft was pressurized slowly to avoid injury to the crew members. As seen in scuba diving, drastic changes in pressure can have an impact on circulatory and respiratory system so regular pressurization safety stops were implemented ? stopping pressurization at certain increments before resuming.

NASA acknowledges SpaceX Polaris Dawn

Throughout the Polaris mission, the crew has paid homage to NASA — and NASA has reciprocated.

For example, as the Polaris crew ventured deeper into space than humans have since Apollo, reaching 1,400 km (870 miles) above Earth, commander Isaacman said: "We all look forward to our friends at the Artemis to take us to even greater heights." He was referring to NASA's Artemis return-to-the-moon plans.

NASA's Artemis account on X (formerly Twitter) replied to the footage of Earth from the milestone orbit: "We are going! ?? Go Polaris!"

NASA administrator, Bill Nelson congratulated the SpaceX team. While NASA has no involvement in the Polaris missions, Nelson emphasized that private space company success is essential to continue the country's space industry.

"Today's success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry," Nelson said on X.

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Spacewalk History: Polaris Dawn crew ventured outside Dragon spacecraft