Billionaire astronaut and crew return to Earth after first private spacewalk

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A billionaire astronaut and his crew have returned to Earth after taking part in the first private spacewalk.

Polaris Dawn, operated by SpaceX on behalf of billionaire Jared Isaacman, splashed down at 8.37am today in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida's Dry Tortugas in the predawn darkness.

Carrying four private citizens, including SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis, the SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket launched into space on Tuesday and spent five days in orbit.

"We are mission complete," Isaacman radioed as the capsule bobbed in the water, awaiting the recovery team.

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While orbiting the planet, Mission commander Mr Isaacman joined a small group of spacewalkers - he was the 264th - who until now had included only professional astronauts from a dozen countries.

They orbited nearly 460 miles (740km) above Earth - higher than the International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope.

The SpaceX Polaris Dawn spacewalk was labelled a 'highly risky mission'.

Mr Isaacman founded Shift4 Payments, a payment processor, at the age of 16 and is now worth an estimated $1.9bn (£1.45bn).

In a live feed relayed back to Earth, speaking during the spacewalk he could be heard saying: "Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world."

All four members of the Polaris Dawn crew wore SpaceX's new spacewalking suits to protect themselves and a main aim of the mission was to test these suits.

Photo by EyePress News/Shutterstock (14664570a).The Polaris Dawn crew at the Kennedy Space Center, from left to right: Anna Menon as mission specialists, retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Scott Kidd Poteet as its pilot, Jared Isaacman, CEO of Shift4, as commander, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities ahead of liftoff on Tuesday Aug 27, 2024. Polaris Dawn, a private space mission that aims to complete the first-ever civilian spacewalk, is expected to launch this week. On X, SpaceX said it's targeting Tuesday August 27 at 3:38AM ET for liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket that will carry the Polaris Dawn crew to orbit. Led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, Polaris Dawn plans to send its crew of four private citizens as far as 870 miles from Earth - farther than any human has traveled since the Apollo program. The spacewalk, in which two of the crew members will step outside the SpaceX Dragon capsule, will take place at an altitude of 435 miles above Earth. (SpaceX handout via EYEPRESS).The Polaris Dawn Crew Prep for First Commercial Spacewalk at the Kennedy Space Center, Orlando, Florida - 26 Aug 2024

The spacewalkers had around 15 minutes outside after climbing through a hatch one by one. While still tethered to the spacecraft, with their feet remaining inside, they carried out a series of stretches to tests the suits.

Mission pilot Scott "Kidd" Poteet and mission specialist and medical officer Ms Menon stayed in their seats and monitored vital support systems throughout the operation.

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