Polaris Dawn spacewalk pushing SpaceX into unchartered territory

This is not your typical astronaut mission, nor are these typical astronauts.

Three years ago, entrepreneur and Shift4 founder Jared Isaacman commanded Inspiration4 ? the first all-civilian mission to orbit the Earth, flying on a SpaceX Dragon. The spacefaring businessman is now set to fly again on a SpaceX Dragon ? and once again, he's poised to seize another first.

This time, Isaacman hopes to carry out the first commercial spacewalk (EVA or extravehicular activity) — a risky maneuver that has been the purview of only astronauts working for national space agencies. Spacewalks are conducted outside the safety of the pressurized spacecraft in the vacuum of space.

Polaris Dawn is targeting a launch at 3:38 a.m. Tuesday, carrying Isaacman and three fellow crewmates: pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel who flew with the Thunderbirds; mission specialist Sarah Gillis, a SpaceX lead space operations engineer who trained the Inspiration4 astronauts; and mission specialist/medical officer Anna Menon, a SpaceX lead space operations engineer who served in mission control during multiple crewed missions.

They are slated to orbit higher than any spacecraft since NASA's Apollo missions.

Isaacman told FLORIDA TODAY that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has high ambitions for SpaceX's goal of making human life multiplanetary, and this mission grew out of that aim. The spacewalk is a big part of that.

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But there's a catch: not only will this be the first private EVA, but it's being done a bit differently.

Unlike the Space Shuttle, for example, or the International Space Station, Dragon spacecraft does not have an airlock, therefore the entire Dragon spacecraft will have to be depressurized before the hatch is opened. For this reason, all four astronauts will be sporting the new SpaceX EVA suit during the spacewalk.

FLORIDA TODAY reached out to Isaacman to get his thoughts on the upcoming mission.

Why is Jared Isaacman flying after Inspiration4 and what is Elon Musk's plan?

Isaacman told FLORIDA TODAY via email that he initially did not expect to fly again after Inspiration4.

Inspiration4 launched in September of 2021, carrying: St. Jude healthcare worker Hayley Arceneaux, professor and science communicator Sian Proctor and engineer Chris Sembroski with Isaacman as he lead the three-day orbital science mission. Isaacman covered the entire cost of the flight, which FLORIDA TODAY previously reported might have been as high as $200 million? based on what NASA pays for a crewed flight.

The first civilian spaceflight was a success, in more ways than one. Inspiration4 managed to fundraise over $250 million for St. Jude Children's hospital, and preform multiple studies which looked at how the human body reacts to spaceflight.

"After Inspiration4, I felt like we accomplished all of our objectives and set the bar high for future missions. I was not planning to go back until after visiting Elon at Starbase in October of 2021," Isaacman stated in an email.  "At that point, we discussed possibilities for test and development missions that would help move the needle on SpaceX's bigger vision to make life multi-planetary."

Isaacman said that Musk spoke with him at the time about a mission, which would see the design and development of the SpaceX EVA spacesuit. The mission would also include testing Starlink laser links (internet communication in space) and gathering data near the Van Allen radiation belts ? which can expose astronauts to harmful radiation.

According to NASA, the Van Allen belts are areas of trapped cosmic radiation in the magnetosphere which surround Earth like "an enormous donut." These radiation belts lie above low Earth orbit. While the International Space Station's orbit is protected below them, future astronauts will have to fly through them to venture further into space such as traveling to the moon and Mars.

"These types of commercial missions appealed to my interests and background and shortly after that meeting, the Polaris Program was born," Isaacman wrote.

Polaris Dawn goals and overall SpaceX mission

On top of gathering data from the Van Allen radiation belts, communicating with Starlink from orbit, and preforming the first commercial spacewalk, there is another larger goal ? testing max performance of the Dragon spacecraft at high orbital altitude. During Polaris Dawn, the Dragon spacecraft will zoom around the Earth in a higher orbit than ever before.

While Isaacman was onboard with the mission, these ambitious objectives were not his idea.

"It was Elon that felt we could accomplish them all on a single mission," Isaacman wrote.  "The goal for Polaris Dawn is really to learn as much as we can from our mission objectives that will help inform future vehicle, suit and other technology designs."

Polaris Dawn venturing into "high radiation environment"

"We are taking our spaceship farther in to space than the last time humans walked on the moon," Isaacman said. "This is a high radiation environment that has an impact on human physiology and vehicle architecture."

"In the future, if we are going to have Starships regularly going to the moon or Mars, we are going to have to fly through the Van Allen belts regularly," he said.

Isaacman said that SpaceX envisions a future where hundreds ? eventually even thousands ? of people travel to the moon and beyond. For this reason, there will be an increased need for low-cost and reliable spacesuits.

"That is why the development of the new SpaceX EVA suit is so important and why we need to test it in the vacuum of space to gain as much data for future design iterations," Isaacman said.

Isaacman also added that the current communication satellites and ground stations which communicate with astronauts are starting to age.

"On our mission, using Starlink laser links, we could open up a massive amount of communication capacity and alleviate the demand on legacy infrastructure," he said.

Polaris Dawn to raise money for St. Jude Children's Hospital

Yet it's not all about spaceflight. Isaacman said via email that he acknowledges that while many look to space, there are still problems plaguing humanity on Earth.

"We are always looking to inspire the next generation to lookup to the stars and imagine what the future could be and not just about space, but also the real problems we could solve here on earth like childhood cancer and St. Jude’s lifesaving mission," Isaacman wrote.

Like Inspiration4, Polaris Dawn will raise money for St. Jude. A statement from St. Jude is posted on the Polaris Dawn webpage:

"As the Polaris Program expands our understanding of what’s possible in human spaceflight, St. Jude will continue to strive here on Earth to improve global survival rates for childhood cancer. Together, we can build a brighter future for the generations to come.

Your contribution will advance the lifesaving work of St. Jude, and help bring us closer to a day when no child — anywhere — dies in the dawn of life."

Future SpaceX Polaris missions and crewed Starship flights

Polaris Dawn is planned as just the first of a series of three spaceflights ?  known as the Polaris Program. Polaris Dawn and the mission to follow will utilize SpaceX Dragon spacecrafts. Yet, SpaceX hopes to get its massive Starship rocket off the ground for the final in the series.

"We do know the last mission, which will be the first crewed flight of Starship. This of course, is the fully reusable launch vehicle that will really open the final frontier and help unlock the secrets of the universe," Isaacman said.

When asked if he plans to visit space again in the future, Isaacman replied: "I do plan to continue flying so long as I can help contribute meaningfully to humankind's journey among the stars."

Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: From SpaceX spacewalk to Starship, Isaacman on SpaceX Polaris Dawn