Billionaire spacewalker Jared Isaacman and his crew returned to Earth on Sunday after a five-day trip that saw them reach higher altitudes than NASA’s moonwalkers. The SpaceX capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida’s Dry Tortugas early in the morning, with Isaacman, two SpaceX engineers, and a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot on board.
During their mission, the crew performed the first private spacewalk at an altitude of nearly 740 kilometers, higher than the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope. This marked a significant milestone, with Isaacman becoming the 264th person to perform a spacewalk and SpaceX’s Sarah Gillis the 265th. The spacewalk was a brief exercise in testing spacesuit technology for future missions, including to Mars.
Isaacman, who previously chartered a flight with SpaceX in 2021, orchestrated the Polaris Dawn mission as part of his personally financed space exploration program. He shared the cost of this mission with SpaceX but did not disclose the exact amount spent. The entrepreneur has two more flights planned under the Polaris program.
The successful completion of the Polaris Dawn mission highlights SpaceX’s capabilities in private space travel and pushes the boundaries of what is possible in commercial space exploration. With an emphasis on innovation and collaboration, Isaacman and his crew have paved the way for future space missions and advancements in space technology.
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