Polaris Dawn: “A giant leap forward”: the non-professional astronaut mission that marks a milestone in space exploration returns

The capsule crew Polaris Dawn of SpaceX returned to Earth on Sunday after five days in orbit, following a historic mission that included the world’s first commercial spacewalk.

The Dragon capsule splashed down off the coast of Florida shortly after 3:37 a.m. local time (07:37 GMT), in an event broadcast live by SpaceX.

“Dragon splashdown confirmed! Welcome back to Earth,” SpaceX said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

US space agency NASA said the mission represented “a giant leap forward” for the commercial space industry.

Upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, the spacecraft approached temperatures of 1,900 degrees Celsius (3,500 degrees Fahrenheit), caused by the intense pressure and friction of pushing through the air at about 27,000 km/h (17,000 mph).

The four-member civilian team, funded and led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, traveled farther into space than anyone else in more than fifty years.

Retired U.S. Air Force pilot Scott Poteet and SpaceX employees Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon were also part of the crew.

Isaacman and Gillis became the first non-professional astronauts to perform a spacewalk, a risky maneuver that involves depressurizing the crew compartment and exiting the spacecraft.

Before this flight, only astronauts from government-funded space agencies had accomplished the feat.

Isaacman emerged from the space capsule at 10.52am GMT on Thursday. Gills, who is a space engineer, went “for a walk” after him.

Live footage showed the two crew members emerging from the white Dragon capsule to float 700 kilometres above the blue Earth below.

Speaking at mission control in Hawthorne, California, Isaacman said: “At home we have a lot of work to do, but From here, the Earth looks like a perfect world”, as he stood on a ladder looking out at the planet.

The spacewalk, which became the farthest from Earth ever, was made possible by innovative astronaut suits equipped with new technology.

Over the five days, the crew conducted more than 40 experiments, including research into the impact of space missions on human health and laser communication tests between the Dragon spacecraft and Space X’s Starlink satellite.

Gillis, who is a trained violinist, brought her instrument and performed “Rey’s Theme” from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” alongside orchestras on Earth.

His rendition was sent back to Earth using SpaceX’s Starlink as a test of the satellite network’s potential to provide connectivity in space.

The video was created in collaboration with the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospitalan institution for which the Polaris Program was raising funds throughout the mission.

The crew was in orbit inside the Dragon spacecraft, named Resilience, for a total of five days, lifting off early Tuesday morning from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mission made history by reaching a maximum altitude of 1,400 km which is the highest any person has flown since the last Apollo Mission in 1972.

Polaris Dawn is the first of three planned Polaris missions, a collaboration between Isaacman and SpaceX.

This includes the first crewed flight of SpaceX’s new Starship rocket, which is still in development.