The capsule was lifted onto the recovery vessel about 30 minutes later. After brief medical checks, crew members exited the capsule, including SpaceX engineer Anna Menon, engineer Sarah Gillis, pilot Scott Poteet, and commander Jared Isaacman. They were soon transported to land by helicopter.
The mission, led by fintech billionaire Isaacman, launched from Kennedy Space Center on Tuesday and ventured deeper into space than any humans have in 50 years, reaching an altitude of 870 miles (1,400 kilometers) – over three times higher than the International Space Station.
On Thursday, Isaacman conducted the first spacewalk from Dragon's open hatch, with SpaceX engineer Gillis following. Both performed mobility tests in SpaceX's advanced suits.
NASA chief Bill Nelson called it a “giant leap forward” for commercial spaceflight. The crew also conducted about 40 scientific experiments and demonstrated SpaceX's Starlink internet with a high-resolution video of Gillis playing "Rey's Theme" from "Star Wars" on the violin.
Polaris Dawn is the first of three missions in the Polaris program, with the final mission set to be the first crewed flight of SpaceX's Starship.
For an optimal experience, please
