All-civilian team conducts first ever private space walk

A US team led by Jared Issacman, a billionaire, performed the first ever private space walk on Thursday.

Issacman alongside Sarah Gillis of Space X, Anna Menon and Kidd Poteet on Wednesday launched into space on the mission dubbed Polaris Dawn.

Issacman and Gillis took turns to step out of the depressurized Crew Dragon spacecraft to test their custom suits by twisting their bodies.

Commander @rookisaacman conducting suit mobility tests while Dragon flies between Australia and Antarctica pic.twitter.com/yj3vFOTNzQ

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“It’s gorgeous,” Isaacman who was the first to step out of the spacecraft said of the view.

“Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, earth sure looks like a perfect world.”

During the space walk – at an altitude of 1,400 kilometres – both astronauts either had a hand or foot touching the space capsule. Menon of Space X and Poteet, the pilot of the crew, remained inside throughout the exercise.

The walk took about 2 hours to complete.

At 1,400 kilometres, the space walk, surpassed Project Gemini’s mission of 1966 which was at 1,369 kilometres.

Only the Apollo moon mission has ventured farther than the altitude reached by the Issacman-led team.

Gemini’s objective was the development of space travel techniques to support the Apollo mission to land astronauts on the moon.

In 2017, the US’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launched the Artemis programme for mankind to go back to the moon.