Success for American billionaire on Elon Musk’s riskiest mission

An American billionaire has become the first person to carry out a commercial spacewalk as part of SpaceX’s historic mission to test out its newly-designed spacesuits.

The Polaris Dawn, the riskiest mission yet by the Elon Musk-led company, began shortly after 11am BST time after an initial four-hour delay.

“It looks like a perfect world… it’s gorgeous,” exclaimed Jared Isaacman, 41, the mission commander as he ventured outside of the Crew Dragon capsule at 700km (435 miles) in altitude.

“It took a huge team effort to get to this point, it’s just historic,” he said

There were cheers of jubilation and relief as the astronaut exited the capsule. A camera attached to Mr Isaacman provided millions of people a livestream of his 12-minute spacewalk, while the Earth turned below him.

He was followed by Sarah Gillis, 30, a SpaceX engineer. Spacewalks are considered to be one of the most dangerous activities an astronaut can do while in orbit and any malfunctions in their suits could be deadly.

The astronauts were seen waving their arms around as they floated above the capsule, reaching down and turning clockwise – all meant to demonstrate how easily they could use tools while in space.

After the mission’s completion, Bill Nelson, Nasa’s highest-ranking official, congratulated SpaceX, saying: “Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and Nasa’s long-term goal to build a vibrant US space economy.”

The purpose of the mission was to test out SpaceX’s new technologies, including its slick spacesuits that are far slimmer than any standard Nasa suit, which have more protective layering.

“It’s kind of like a suit of armour made of fabric,” Erik Kraus, SpaceX’s principal spacesuit engineer, said prior to the mission.

The spacewalk had added risks as it was carried out from Crew Dragon, a space capsule that doesn’t have a safety airlock, meaning the whole vehicle had to be depressurised before it could begin.

Scott Poteet, 50, a retired US air force fighter pilot, and Anna Menon, 38, a SpaceX engineer, remained inside the capsule but were considered “space walkers” given the depressurisation.

The mission finally officially got underway with a series of suit purges and leak checks.

After the crew underwent a “pre-breathing” process, which involved the astronauts breathing oxygen prior to the spacewalk in order to purge the body of nitrogen.

Then came the venting phase, which saw both the cabin and the astronauts’ suits depressurised. Images started to roll in from inside the cabin, with the four-strong crew preparing and fist-bumping each other.

Mr Isaacman initially suffered a slight hitch with the door’s automatic opening mechanism, before pushing the hatch open and climbing out into space.

Mr Isaacman and Ms Giles remained attached to life support systems by an umbilical hose as he carried out a series of mobility tests.

Click here to view this content.

The first of three tests saw them use a single hand to control their body movement. The pair, floating out above the Dragon, held onto the capsule’s bars, keeping one arm still while waving the other about in an attempt to simulate tool use.

The second mobility test focused on the astronauts’ ability to move up and down. This saw the two astronauts using horizontal and vertical bars to gauge their maximum reach.

The third and final test saw the astronauts assess how easily they could move their body by waving their arms and twisting around clockwise while continuing to hold onto the capsule’s bars.

Re-pressurisation began one minute after Ms Gillis returned into the capsule, a process which lasted nearly an hour. In that time, the crew continued to rely on their slim, SpaceX-developed spacesuits for oxygen.

Mission to Mars

It was the first of three spacewalks funded by Mr Isaacman, founder of Shift4, an electronic payment company. Mr Isaacman has not revealed how much he has paid for the missions but experts suggest they will have cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

A seat on a Crew Dragon typically costs $55m (£42m).

The five-day mission was primarily to test the new suits, but also to conduct broader research essential to leading future crewed missions beyond Earth, including the Moon and Mars.

The company said: “Building a base on the Moon and a city on Mars will require thousands of spacesuits. The development of this suit, and the EVA performed on this mission, will be important steps toward a scalable design for spacesuits on future long-duration missions.”

According to Dr Ian Whittaker, a space physics expert at Nottingham Trent University, the mission also represents “the first step on a longer road towards space tourism”.

“The high cost will mean that only the ultra rich get to experience this for now but putting this cost in the hands of businesses means that taxpayer money can be used for other purposes,” he added.

03:10 PM BST

Thank you for following our live coverage

Thank you for following our live coverage of SpaceX’s historic spacewalk mission.

03:00 PM BST

Elon Musk congratulates SpaceX astronauts

01:59 PM BST

‘Spacewalk mission another step towards space tourism’

Dr Ian Whittaker, a space physics expert at Nottingham Trent University, said SpaceX’s mission marks another step towards space tourism.

“The success of the first non space agency astronaut spacewalk is extremely exciting for the private space industry as it is the first step on a longer road towards space tourism,” Dr Whittaker said.

“The high cost will mean that only the ultra rich get to experience this for now but putting this cost in the hands of businesses means that taxpayer money can be used for other purposes.”

He continued: “The custom space suit design has had a successful test and it is great to see some positive news regarding space exploration this year.”

01:19 PM BST

Watch: SpaceX crew carries out first-ever private spacewalk

01:03 PM BST

Spacewalk mission officially complete

The spacewalk is now officially over as the repressurisation process has finally completed, SpaceX has confirmed.

12:22 PM BST

Repressurisation of Dragon now under way

Ms Gillis confirmed she has closed the hatch and now repressurisation of the Dragon capsule is under way.

“Pressure indicates good seal,” mission control told the astronauts.

12:15 PM BST

Second spacewalk complete

Ms Gillis has now reentered the Dragon capsule after spending 12 minutes testing out SpaceX’s new suits.

She carried out the same maneuvers as Mr Isaacman, which included suit mobility tests as the Dragon capsule flew between Australia and Antarctica

12:07 PM BST

Second SpaceX astronaut leaves capsule

Ms Gillis has now left the Dragon capsule.

She is expected to stay out there for 12 minutes, the same time as Mr Isaacman, to carry out the same suit tests.

12:05 PM BST

Second SpaceX astronaut prepares to leave Dragon capsule

Sarah Gillis, the mission specialist, is now preparing to exit the capsule and carry out the mission’s second spacewalk.

12:05 PM BST

Watch: Billionaire exits spacecraft in first ever private spacewalk

Click here to view this content.

12:04 PM BST

Mission commander completes mobility tests

Polaris Dawn’s mission commander Jared Isaacman has now completed his suit mobility tests and is back inside the Dragon capsule.

11:53 AM BST

‘It looks like a perfect world...’

Mr Isaacman has now exited the capsule.

He is attached to life support systems by an umbilical hose that provides power, communications and oxygen.

Mr Isaacman has started the suit tests against the Earth’s backdrop.

“Back at home we still have a lot of work to do,” he said as he exited the capsule before adding: “But from here it looks like a perfect world.”

He said later on: “It’s gorgeous.”

11:50 AM BST

Mission commander opens hatch into space

Jared Isaacman, the billionaire mission commander, has exited the Dragon capsule.

11:44 AM BST

‘Go to open hatch’

Isaacman has been given the all-clear to open the hatch.

The crew is in the process of venting any residual atmosphere.

11:43 AM BST

Mission commander about to open Dragon capsule hatch

Depressurisation is now complete.

Jared Isaacman, the billionaire mission commander, is preparing to exit the capsule.

11:42 AM BST

Pictured: billionaire mission commander prepares to exit capsule

11:32 AM BST

‘Pre-breathe’ process complete

The cabin will now be vented, which is expected to last around eight minutes.

The pressure inside the cabin and the suits will now start to drop.

The capsule will remain completely depressurised during the entire spacewalk, and the whole crew will need to rely on their SpaceX-developed spacesuits for oxygen.

11:22 AM BST

Leak checks complete

All four suits have passed their leak checks, SpaceX has confirmed.

The final ‘pre-breathe’ is under way to help purge all remaining nitrogren from the astronauts’ bodies.

11:17 AM BST

Spacewalk begins

The pressurisation of the SpaceX suits has now begun, meaning the spacewalk - known officially as Extravehicular Activity (EVA) - is now under way.

SpaceX officials confirmed the mission is “go for spacewalk”.

The purpose of the mission is to test new SpaceX technology, including the suits, which are much thinner than those worn by astronauts on previous Nasa missions.

11:00 AM BST

Spacewalk mission under way

The crew members will be referred to in the live broadcast as follows:

EV1: Jared Isaacman, commander

EV2: Sarah Gillis

Support 1: Scott Poteet

Support 2: Anna Menon

The Polaris Dawn crew is suited up and ready for the spacewalk.

10:54 AM BST

Why are suit leak checks necessary?

Suit leak checks, which will occur at the start of the spacewalk, are an “extremely important” part of the process, according to a SpaceX employee speaking on the live broadcast.

The process takes a few minutes, he added, and will involve checking that all zippers and compartments in the suit are closed properly.

10:51 AM BST

Spacewalk minutes away

The start of SpaceX’s spacewalk is expected to begin in seven minutes.

The astronauts will carry out their final suit checks at 10.58am before Jared Isaacman, the mission commander, exits the capsule at 11.31am.

10:30 AM BST

Astronauts to carry out 12-minute spacewalk

Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis will separately exit the Dragon capsule for 12 minutes each and perform a series of suit mobility tests during the spacewalk, SpaceX has said in its latest update.

10:22 AM BST

Astronauts begin putting on spacesuits

SpaceX’s broadcast is now live, with one of the hosts confirming that the astronauts have begun the process of putting their spacesuits on.

“They’ve been undergoing a process called pre-breathing, where the atmosphere pressure inside Dragon is slowly decreased and oxygen is increased, to prepare their bodies for the [spacewalk] suit environment,” the host said.

10:08 AM BST

Musk teases spacewalk as live broadcast begins

09:57 AM BST

Minute-by-minute schedule of SpaceX’s mission

10.58am (UK time): Procedure starts with suit purge and leak checks

11.28am: Hatch unlocked and opened

11.31am: Jared Isaacman, mission commander, exits and starts testing suits

11.44am:  Mr Isaacman returns to his seat

11.49am: Sarah Gillis, mission specialist, exits

11.57am: Ms Gillis returns to her seat

11.58am: Hatch closed and repressurisation begins

12.48pm: Repressurisation complete

09:17 AM BST

Why is this spacewalk so risky?

Only government-funded astronauts with several years of training have done spacewalks in the past.

This time it will be the privately funded Polaris Dawn capsule which, at an altitude of 700 km (435 miles), will be completely depressurised - leaving the crew relying on just their slim, SpaceX-developed spacesuits for oxygen.

During the spacewalk, Isaacman and Gillis will exit the Crew Dragon tethered by an oxygen line while Poteet and Menon stay within.

The crew has however spent over two years of training with SpaceX mission simulations and “experiential learning” in challenging, uncomfortable environments.

Poteet, a retired fighter pilot and member of the crew, told reporters last month: “I can tell you without a doubt this has been some of the most challenging training that I’ve ever experienced.”

08:38 AM BST

‘State-of-the-art’ technology of new spacesuit

Today is all about SpaceX’s new EVA - or extra-vehicular activity - suits, which will be tested by mission commander Jared Isaacman and engineer Sarah Gillis as they emerge from their capsule.

According to SpaceX:

08:04 AM BST

Pictured: Crew hold call with veterans charity

The entire crew held a video call with representatives of veterans charity Folds of Honor, which provide educational scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service-members.

07:45 AM BST

Who are the Polaris Dawn crew?

The mission commander is private astronaut and billionaire Jared Isaacman. The launch is his second spaceflight, having flown with SpaceX on its Inspiration4 mission in 2021.

Isaacman, who founded Shift4 payments, has a net worth of around $2bn. He is an accomplished pilot with over 7,000 hours of flying and owns the world’s largest private fighter jet fleet, the Black Diamond Jet Team, which conducts acrobatic demonstrations.

Click here to view this content.

He’ll conduct the spacewalk with Sarah Gillis, a SpaceX engineer and mission specialist who has previously trained astronauts for their flights on the company’s rockets.

They are joined by Scott Poteet, a retired US Air Force lieutenant colonel with 3,200 hours of flying experience on military jets and 400 hours of combat experience.

The final crew member is Anna Menon, a SpaceX engineer and the flight’s medical officer. She has worked on mission control for multiple NASA and SpaceX missions.

07:21 AM BST

Elon Musk teases spacewalk

Elon Musk, who founded SpaceX, has teased the company’s launch on X.

07:17 AM BST

Spacewalk delayed by three hours, says SpaceX

SpaceX has said that today’s spacewalk will still happen but it has been delayed by around three hours.

A SpaceX statement read: “All systems are looking good for the Polaris Dawn crew to perform the first spacewalk from Dragon today,” the company said, adding that the live stream will be starting at 4:55am ET (9:55am BST).”

07:14 AM BST

Welcome to our live blog

Good morning and welcome to our live blog.

We’ll bring you the latest updates from SpaceX’s attempt to carry out a private spacewalk.