The SpaceX Dragon capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico early Sunday morning, bringing the Polaris Dawn mission to a successful close.
The four-person crew was led by tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, and it returned to Earth after five days in orbit.
The capsule landed off the coast of Florida at approximately 3:37 a.m. local time. As the hatch opened, Isaacman emerged, followed by his crewmates: Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both SpaceX employees, and Scott Poteet, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel.
"We've pushed the boundaries of civilian space exploration," Isaacman said, "This mission proves that with the right preparation and technology, private citizens can contribute meaningfully to space research and development."
The Polaris Dawn mission, is the first of three planned Polaris flights, and it set several records:
- Altitude: The crew reached an orbit of approximately 870 miles above Earth, higher than any human spaceflight since the Apollo missions of the 1970s.
- First commercial spacewalk: Isaacman and Gillis conducted the first-ever spacewalk by private citizens, which was more challenging by the lack of an airlock on the Dragon capsule.
- Scientific research: Over 40 experiments were conducted during the five-day mission.
The spacewalk is a significant technological achievement. Because it didn't have a dedicated airlock, the entire cabin had to be depressurized. Isaacman and Gillis wore new spacesuit prototypes designed for potential future missions to the Moon or Mars.
"The spacewalk was both exhilarating and humbling," Gillis said during a press conference. "It's one thing to train for it, but to actually experience the vastness of space firsthand is indescribable."
The mission also tested laser communications between the Dragon capsule and SpaceX's Starlink satellite network.
In a lighter moment, Gillis, a trained violinist, performed a musical piece in orbit, with the audio transmitted back to Earth via Starlink.
Dr. Ellen Stofan, former NASA chief scientist, said "Polaris Dawn has shown us that private missions can complement government space programs ... It's opening up new possibilities for research and exploration."
The dream of making space accessible to more than just government astronauts now seems increasingly within reach. And– with two more Polaris missions on the horizon, who knows what's coming next?