SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission blasts off for first civilian spacewalk

Four private astronauts are riding a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule further from Earth than any human since 1972, where they will attempt the first ever civilian spacewalk

By Matthew Sparkes

10 September 2024

Polaris Dawn launch

SpaceX

SpaceX has launched its Polaris Dawn mission to attempt the first ever civilian spacewalk, and one of the riskiest spacewalks ever attempted.

The four crew will now spend up to five days in orbit around Earth, with the spacewalk – or extravehicular activity (EVA) – of two members occurring on the third day. During that walk, the entire spacecraft will depressurise for around 2 hours. The two crew remaining inside the craft will also have to wear spacesuits.

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This is a change from other modern spacewalks, which normally involve an airlock that seals the interior of the craft from the vacuum of space while astronauts exit. The Crew Dragon capsule being used in this mission has no airlock, making it similar to the early days of space flight in the 1960s and 1970s. In addition, every previous spacewalk has been performed by government-trained astronauts, while the crew of Polaris Dawn are private civilians.

Adding to the risk is the fact that the spacesuits are a new design, although thoroughly tested on Earth, and that the flight will travel further from Earth than any human has been since the end of the Apollo programme in 1972.