Polaris Dawn: A New Frontier in Space Travel
by Ryan Vaysberg
First-Ever Commercial Spacewalk Performed by the Polaris Dawn Crew
Imagine stepping out of a spaceship and floating in space: The stars surround you, lighting up the otherwise dark space all around, as you gaze at the Earth below.
This was what astronauts on the Polaris Dawn Crew had the chance to experience. On September 12, 2024, the Polaris crew achieved a major milestone in space exploration by completing the first-ever commercial spacewalk.
The Polaris Dawn Crew was led by Jared Isaacman, a veteran astronaut and entrepreneur, who is also the sponsor of the mission. Isaacman, known for commanding the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, the first all-civilian mission to orbit Earth, has been a key figure in commercial space travel. Through his company, Shift4 Payments, a payment processing company founded when he was 16 years old, Isaacman is not only an investor in space exploration but also an active participant in pushing the limits of what private space missions can achieve. His passion for space and its future potential led him to sponsor the Polaris program, aiming to make commercial space exploration more accessible and help advance scientific research.
The Polaris Dawn mission is part of Isaacman’s broader vision to push the boundaries of space travel. Under his leadership, the crew embarked on this historic mission, orbiting Earth at an altitude of more than 1,400 kilometers (870 miles)—nearly four times higher than the International Space Station. This achievement is a testament to Isaacman’s dedication to both advancing space technology and inspiring students to pursue careers in space and STEM fields.
The Polaris Dawn crew consists of Jared Isaacman, Mission Commander; Scott Poteet, Mission Pilot; Sarah Gillis, Mission Specialist; and Anna Menon, Mission Specialist & Medical Officer.
For those students interested in such STEM topics as science, technology, engineering, and math, this mission represents the exciting future of an expanding industry. It shows how students like you could take part in commercial space travel sometime in the future. Whether you dream of becoming an astronaut, an engineer, a scientist, or just want to leave Earth during your lifetime, the Polaris mission shows that space exploration is becoming more accessible; you could be part of the next generation of explorers, even if you haven’t been training your whole life to be an astronaut. Our generation might eventually end up in an era where a ticket to space would be almost as accessible as a plane ticket.
This mission also shows the growing role of private companies in space exploration. SpaceX, which provided the Crew Dragon spacecraft, played a key role, but the mission also benefited from the support of universities like the University of Colorado, Johns Hopkins, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and others. This kind of teamwork, involving both young minds and experienced experts, is essential for the future of space exploration.
On Earth, our atmosphere and magnetic field protect us from harmful radiation coming from the Sun and space. The atmosphere acts like a shield, blocking most of the dangerous particles. The Earth's magnetic field also redirects these particles away from the surface. However, in space, there's no atmosphere to protect astronauts. Without this shield, astronauts are directly exposed to cosmic radiation, which includes high-energy particles like protons, electrons, and heavier ions. These particles travel at nearly the speed of light and can harm the human body by damaging cells and DNA.
At 700 km above Earth, the SpaceX Extravehicular Activity (EVA) suit supported the Polaris Dawn crew in the vacuum of space. Evolved from the Intravehicular Activity (IVA) suit, the EVA suit provides greater mobility, a state-of-the-art helmet heads-up display (HUD) and camera, new thermal management textiles, and materials borrowed from Falcon’s interstage and Dragon’s trunk.
During the six-day Polaris Dawn mission, the astronauts were exposed to the same amount of radiation that we would normally experience on Earth over seven months. Understanding how this radiation affects astronauts is crucial because long-term exposure can increase the risk of cancer, organ damage, and other health issues. The data collected during this mission will help scientists make future space travel safer for astronauts, especially on longer missions like those to the Moon or Mars.
The results of the Polaris Dawn mission not only made history with the first-ever commercial spacewalk, but also gave us important information about the challenges of space travel. Building a base on the Moon or a city on Mars will require millions of spacesuits. The development of this suit will be an important step toward a scalable design for spacesuits on future long-duration missions as life becomes multiplanetary. As we look toward the future, missions like Polaris Dawn, where researchers improve our technology for greater safety and comfort, are helping lay the foundation for safe and sustainable space exploration. With leaders like Isaacman driving these efforts, the next frontier of human space exploration is within our reach.
For more information on the Polaris Dawn program: https://polarisprogram.com/dawn/