SpaceX Launches Billionaire for Historic Private Spacewalk

Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and a team of SpaceX engineers launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket early Tuesday, aiming for the first private spacewalk in history, Arab News reported yesterday.

This mission represents a significant milestone in commercial space exploration. Unlike his previous flight, Isaacman shared costs with SpaceX, including the development of new spacesuits designed for harsh space conditions. If successful, this mission will allow private citizens to perform a spacewalk, a task previously reserved for professional astronauts.

The crew plans to reach an altitude of 1,400 kilometers, exceeding the record set during NASA’s Project Gemini in 1966. They will spend around 10 hours at this extreme height before adjusting their orbit to 700 kilometers.

Scheduled for late Wednesday or Thursday, the spacewalk will involve Isaacman and SpaceX’s Sarah Gillis exiting the Dragon capsule while tethered for safety. This mission, Polaris Dawn, is the first of three flights Isaacman purchased from Elon Musk, further pushing the boundaries of private space exploration.