Space exploration began during the Cold War, driven by the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union. Humanity’s first step into space was the first artificial satellite, Sputnik 1, launched by the Soviet Union in 1957, followed by Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human in space in 1961. In response, the United States accelerated its space program, culminating in NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, which successfully landed humans on the moon in 1969.
After the moon landing, the focus of space exploration shifted towards long-term space missions, resulting in the development of space stations and unmanned probes. Launched in 1972, the Space Shuttle program revolutionized reusable space technology, leading to further orbital missions and satellite deployments.
In recent decades, the rise of private space companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin has shifted the landscape. These companies have played a part in rekindling an interest in space exploration with space tourism and the exploration of Mars.
Polaris Dawn, a private space mission organized by SpaceX and funded by Jared Isaacman, is the first of three missions under the Polaris program, which aims to test new technologies, conduct research, and eventually cumulate the first flight of SpaceX’s Starship with humans on board. Its key objective involves performing the first commercial spacewalk, flying to an orbit higher than any crewed mission since Apollo 11, testing communication using SpaceX’s Starlink, and conduct various scientific experiments. The mission is crewed by four people: Jared Isaacman, Scott Poteet, Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon.
On Tuesday, September 10 at 2:23 am PST, Polaris Dawn was launched into orbit, in which the crew will spend up to five days. At an altitude of 435 miles, the Polaris Dawn spacewalk was successfully conducted, making it the first spacewalk to be completed by a non-professional crew. Two crew members, Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis, were broadcasted emerging from the spacecraft fifteen minutes apart. Before the spacewalk, the crew had spent two days “pre-breathing” to prevent decompression illness from the pressure change. The spacecraft was then depressurized to bring it close to the conditions of the vacuum outside. However, conducting this spacewalk was not without risk. While the capsule the crew flew in had been launched into space several times, both it and the spacesuits were untested in this environment.
The success of the spacewalk is a significant milestone in space history, as it paves the way for future missions involving extravehicular activities. Traditionally, spacewalks have only been conducted by government-funded agencies, so this spacewalk demonstrated that private space companies are capable of performing complex space maneuvers independently.
