On Thursday, Steptember 15, tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman made history by stepping out for the first private spacewalk, collaborating with SpaceX on this groundbreaking mission hundreds of miles above Earth.

Isaacman, along with his crew, waited until their capsule was depressurized before opening the hatch. As the first to exit, Isaacman joined a select group of spacewalkers, who previously included only professional astronauts from various countries.

This spacewalk was the centerpiece of their five-day mission funded by Isaacman and SpaceX, marking a significant milestone in efforts aimed at future Mars exploration and beyond.

All four crew members were equipped with SpaceX's newly designed spacewalking suits to ensure safety in the vacuum of space. They launched from Florida on Tuesday, reaching an orbit of 460 miles (740 kilometers) above Earth—a distance half that of previous missions.

The spacewalk, anticipated to last around two hours, involved more stretching than walking. Isaacman was tasked with keeping a hand or foot attached to the spacecraft while testing the durability of the new spacesuit. A walker-like structure on the hatch provided additional support. After about 15 minutes outside, Isaacman was to be replaced by SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis, who would perform the same movements.

Both astronauts had 12-foot (3.6-meter) tethers for safety, though they were not intended for use in the same manner as those employed at the International Space Station, where astronauts often perform repairs in lower orbits.

With more wealthy individuals investing in private space travel for short weightless experiences or extended stays, spacewalking has become an increasingly sought-after adventure. Despite being one of the most perilous aspects of space travel, spacewalking is also considered one of the most exhilarating.

The mission was meticulously planned, with minimal room for error. Testing new spacesuits in a spacecraft unfamiliar with spacewalking increased the risks, as did the exposure of the entire capsule to the vacuum of space.

Inside the capsule, Scott "Kidd" Poteet, a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot, and SpaceX engineer Anna Menon remained secured to their seats, overseeing the operation. All four crew members had undergone rigorous training prior to the mission.

Isaacman, 41, founder and CEO of Shift4, has not disclosed the cost of the flight. This mission, dubbed Polaris Dawn, is the first of three planned flights in Isaacman’s Polaris program. The inaugural private SpaceX flight in 2021, led by Isaacman, included contest winners and a cancer survivor.

Until now, only 263 individuals from 12 countries had completed a spacewalk, starting with Alexei Leonov from the Soviet Union in 1965, followed shortly by NASA's Ed White.

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