SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn set to begin tomorrow: All you need to know about first-commercial spacewalk

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space exploration, marking the first time a spacewalk will be conducted without the involvement of government astronauts.The Polaris Dawn mission will see a crew of four SpaceX astronauts, led by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, venture into Earth's orbit aboard a modified Crew Dragon capsule. What sets this mission apart from previous spacewalks is that the entire capsule will be depressurized, forcing all crew members to rely solely on their spacesuits for survival.

This risky maneuver, combined with the absence of an airlock, will push the boundaries of current space technology and serve as a major test for SpaceX's new spacesuits.Jared Isaacman, the founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments, is not new to space exploration. He previously commanded the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, the first all-civilian mission to orbit Earth, which was also organized and primarily funded by him in partnership with SpaceX.

Isaacman is not just the mission commander but also one of the two crew members who will undertake the spacewalk. Alongside him will be Sarah Gillis, a senior space operations engineer at SpaceX, who has been instrumental in training astronauts for various SpaceX missions.Gillis, who graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with an engineering degree, joined SpaceX as an intern in 2015 and quickly rose through the ranks.

Her responsibilities at SpaceX include training astronauts for safety and flight operations, making her an ideal candidate for this mission. As the mission specialist, Gillis will be one of the two crew members to step outside the capsule for the spacewalk.The mission's pilot, Scott Poteet, brings a wealth of experience from his 20-year career in the U.S.