The Polaris Dawn mission marked a groundbreaking achievement with the first commercial spacewalk, led by Jared Isaacman and SpaceX. However, this milestone brings renewed questions about the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and the regulation of private companies in space.
Two private astronauts ventured outside their spacecraft early Thursday morning, marking the first-ever commercial spacewalk. The spacewalk has been the most anticipated highlight of Polaris Dawn, a mission led by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman in partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.
“Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world,” Isaacman said as he stood in the hatch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, with the planet visible above him.
This successful mission underscores that space travel is no longer exclusive to professional astronauts from government agencies like NASA. Spacewalks, once the domain of these astronauts protected only by their suits from the vacuum of space, are now part of private missions. The Polaris series — this being the first of three missions — is aimed at accelerating technological advancements to support Musk’s vision of eventually sending people to Mars.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson applauded the spacewalk, despite the agency's minimal involvement.
“Congratulations @PolarisProgram and @SpaceX on the first commercial spacewalk in history! Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and NASA’s long-term goal to build a vibrant U.S. space economy,” Nelson posted on X.
The spacewalk officially began at 6:12 a.m. Eastern time, when oxygen began flowing into the astronauts’ spacesuits. Although delayed by nearly three hours, the operation proceeded smoothly.
Due to the lack of an airlock in the the SpaceX Crew Dragon, the spacewalk required venting all the air from the spacecraft, a method reminiscent of how NASA and Soviet astronauts conducted spacewalks in the 1960s.
The entire SpaceX Crew Dragon vehicle, carrying and safeguarding the crew, was depressurized and exposed to the vacuum of space — a dangerous yet historic milestone during the Polaris Dawn crew’s five-day journey around Earth. The mission has already set new records, venturing farther into space than any human since NASA’s Apollo program ended more than 50 years ago. It was also the first time that four astronauts were simultaneously exposed to the vacuum of space.
The crew includes Shift4 Payments CEO Jared Isaacman, the financier of Polaris Dawn; his close friend and former US Air Force pilot Scott “Kidd” Poteet; and SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis. They had been preparing for this spacewalk since their launch at 5:23 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
Before the spacewalk, the team underwent a slow “pre-breathe” process, designed to remove nitrogen from their bloodstream to avoid a potentially deadly condition caused by gas bubbles forming in the vacuum of space.
Isaacman was the first to exit the capsule, just before 7 a.m. ET. He climbed a mobility aid, essentially a ladder dubbed “skywalker” by SpaceX, to venture into the vast expanse and take in the breathtaking view.
Gillis and Isaacman were the only two crew members to exit the spacecraft, spending a combined total of around 20 minutes outside.
After Isaacman returned to his seat, Gillis exited the capsule for about 10 minutes. During her time outside, she tested the mobility of her spacesuit by wiggling around, as planned.
One of SpaceX's main objectives is to develop spacesuits that function and fit more like everyday clothing, in contrast to the bulky, restrictive suits traditionally used for spacewalks.
Despite this, the entire crew enjoyed stunning views through the spacecraft's windows, offering awe-inspiring glimpses of Earth passing by below. The Polaris Dawn crew experiences a sunrise and sunset approximately every 106 minutes.
"You just get to witness this hour after hour, and it’s so beautiful. Our Earth is so beautiful,” Mennon expressed.
After the spacewalk, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated the team in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Today's spacewalk — the first commercial spacewalk conducted by a crew of non-government astronauts — was a groundbreaking achievement.
However, the crew’s venture into space is just one of several historic milestones set by this mission.
Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon became the first women to travel this far from Earth.
The mission marked the farthest humans have ventured since NASA’s Apollo program ended in 1972.
Polaris Dawn reached the highest orbit around Earth.
Although the crew previously reached a maximum altitude of over 1,400 kilometers (870 miles), the spacewalk took place while their vehicle traveled at altitudes between 190 and 700 kilometers above Earth (118 to 435 miles).
In total, the Crew Dragon capsule remained exposed to space with its hatch open for about two hours.
“There’s a lot of time built in for venting (or depressurizing the spacecraft) and repressurizing,” Isaacman told CNN regarding the two-hour window for the spacewalk. “And probably the biggest fear that (we’ve tried to) protect for is a failure to repressurize the vehicle — because then all you have is your oxygen reserves to get back home in about two hours if needed. So I don’t expect we’ll have too much sight-seeing time.”
While Isaacman and Gillis were outside the capsule, they focused on showcasing the functionality of their brand-new EVA suits in space.
EVA suits act as self-contained spacecraft, designed to fit the human body. Unlike the iconic bulky white spacesuits used by government astronauts during spacewalks from the International Space Station, SpaceX's EVA suits don’t include a Primary Life Support System (PLSS), explains Garrett Reisman, a former NASA astronaut and SpaceX consultant.
A PLSS, typically worn by ISS astronauts, is a backpack that allows them to float freely through space and perform complex tasks, such as repairing or replacing hardware outside the space station. Instead, the Polaris Dawn crew receives life support through long hoses connected to their spacecraft.
Despite the absence of a PLSS, SpaceX's EVA suits represent a remarkable engineering achievement. The company designed and developed these suits specifically for the mission in just two and a half years.
The broader goal is to create spacesuits that can eventually be mass-produced, moving away from the expensive, custom-made versions currently used by space agencies.
With the spacewalk now complete, the Polaris Dawn crew will spend the next couple of days in orbit, working through the remaining mission objectives.
During the mission, the four crew members are conducting around 40 experiments, primarily focusing on how weightlessness and radiation affect the human body. They have also tested laser communications between the Crew Dragon and SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites.
The Polaris Dawn crew's careful approach served as a reminder that space is an inherently hostile and dangerous environment. During spacewalks, astronauts are encased in a small bubble of air—their spacesuits—that protects them from suffocating in the vacuum of space.
Although there have been close calls during spacewalks, including the very first one by a Soviet astronaut in 1965, spacewalks are not the most hazardous part of spaceflight. No astronaut has ever died or been seriously injured during a spacewalk. In fact, they are relatively common: more than 270 spacewalks have been conducted at the International Space Station since December 1998, with minimal issues. Astronauts at the ISS use airlocks to enter and exit, which minimizes the loss of air into space.
Most fatalities in spaceflight have occurred during launches, such as the 1986 Challenger disaster, or during re-entry, like the 2003 Columbia shuttle tragedy, when it burned up while returning through Earth’s atmosphere.
Although Polaris Dawn is not a NASA mission and is not regulated by the U.S. government, the upcoming spacewalk represents a significant milestone for the private sector’s growing presence in space exploration.
This development raises an important question: Is the U.S. straying from the commitment it made 50 years ago regarding how space should be governed?
“This is a mission which violates Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty,” Tomasso Sgobba, executive director of the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, told Al Jazeera. “It’s a well-known issue, which of course has a history.”
In 1967, at the height of the Cold War and space race, the UN brought together the United States, Soviet Union, and other world powers to sign an agreement. Officially titled the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, it’s now commonly known as the Outer Space Treaty (OST).
Inspired by agreements over sovereignty in Antarctica, the OST is best recalled for ensuring that nuclear weapons would remain on Earth, not in space. It also promised that the exploration of space would benefit all humanity and remain open to all nations. The treaty’s authors envisioned space as a realm for discovery and learning, not domination.
The treaty also addressed private companies, with Article VI stating that “the activities of non-governmental entities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty.” This placed responsibility on governments to oversee and be liable for any space activity from their territory.
Ram Jakhu, former director of McGill University’s Institute of Air and Space Law, explained that Article VI was essential for the treaty’s existence because the Soviet Union wanted only states to be involved in space, while the US advocated for private companies. "So a compromise was made for private companies, subject to the permission, authorisation, supervision and responsibility of their respective states, and this is fundamental,” he added.
He stated, “The treaty is more valid today, and should be valid tomorrow.”
Today, private companies are no longer just suppliers for national space agencies; they are leading the exploration. Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin offer spaceflights for tourists, RocketLab is planning a private science mission to Venus, and SpaceX is racing to send humans to Mars.
“No,” the Federal Aviation Agency clarified to Al Jazeera through an email. “Under federal law, the FAA is prohibited from issuing regulations for commercial human spaceflight occupant safety.”
The response reflects a long-standing US policy. For 20 years, Congress has limited the FAA’s regulatory authority over private human space activities, imposing a moratorium on safety regulations. This moratorium has been extended several times and is now set to expire in 2025.
Currently, the FAA’s role is limited to certifying rockets and spacecraft, primarily ensuring they are safe for people on Earth. “The FAA has no regulatory oversight for the activities of the Polaris Dawn mission,” the agency stated.
The astronauts aboard the mission sign informed consent forms, meaning only SpaceX is responsible for their safety during the spacewalk.
Throughout space exploration, spacewalks have highlighted both human necessity and vulnerability.
In the early 1960s, as the US and the Soviet Union raced to space, it wasn’t enough to simply get there—both nations aimed to have their astronauts leave their capsules. In 1965, both succeeded: Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov in March, and American astronaut Ed White in June. However, both faced immediate challenges: Leonov's suit expanded so much that he struggled to re-enter his craft, while White's door nearly refused to close. A year later, an American astronaut almost overheated during his spacewalk.
Space is harsh, with extreme temperatures, micrometeorites, and space debris traveling at bullet-like speeds. Radiation easily penetrates the body, and bulky, inflexible spacesuits must hold back the deadly vacuum of space. A space-sick astronaut could vomit, obstructing their view or even clogging their air supply. As recently as a decade ago, an Italian astronaut nearly drowned when water from a leak accumulated in his helmet during a spacewalk.
Despite the risks, spacewalks are crucial. They’ve retrieved photo film from Apollo missions, repaired Skylab, fixed the Hubble Space Telescope, and helped build the International Space Station. While robots have their uses, they still can’t match humans when it comes to complex tasks outside spacecraft.