Tech Billionaire Completes First Private Spacewalk with SpaceX Crew

Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman has returned to Earth after leading the first private spacewalk, following a five-day mission that took him and his crew higher than any humans have travelled since NASA's moon missions. Isaacman, along with two SpaceX engineers and a former Air Force pilot, splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida.

During their mission, the crew conducted a spacewalk while orbiting at an altitude of 740 kilometers, higher than both the International Space Station and the Hubble Telescope. Isaacman became the 264th person to perform a spacewalk, testing SpaceX’s new spacesuit, while engineer Sarah Gillis became the 265th. Their brief spacewalk lasted less than two hours, aimed at preparing for longer future missions, including potential voyages to Mars.

This mission, part of Isaacman’s Polaris program, marked his second chartered flight with SpaceX. His first mission in 2021 raised over $250 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Isaacman, CEO of Shift4 Payments, has two more space missions planned, with future efforts aimed at further advancing space exploration technology. The exact cost of the missions remains undisclosed, but they are seen as a significant step toward commercial space travel.