Billionaire Jared Isaacman made history by completing the first-ever civilian spacewalk during SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission. Isaacman, CEO of Shift4, along with retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott Poteet, SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis, and Anna Menon, orbited 435 miles above Earth. Isaacman exited the capsule, becoming the first civilian to float unconfined in space.
Isaacman’s spacewalk is part of his continued passion for space exploration, which has cost him hundreds of millions of dollars, including funding SpaceX’s previous Inspiration4 mission in 2021. During the walk, he reflected on Earth’s beauty, remarking how perfect it looked from space.
Commander @rookisaacman has egressed Dragon and is going through the first of three suit mobility tests that will test overall hand body control, vertical movement with Skywalker, and foot restraint pic.twitter.com/XATJQhLuIZ
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 12, 2024
Isaacman isn’t the only billionaire venturing into space; Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos both took similar trips in 2021, signaling the ongoing trend of billionaires pushing the limits of space exploration.
