Billionaire writes history at 700 kilometres altitude

Following Neil Armstrong's "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind", billionaire Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis recently took their own step into history. They became the first 'tourists' to walk 700 kilometres into space.

Following in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong – “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” – billionaire Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis recently took their own step into history. They became the first ‘tourists’ to walk 700 kilometres into space.

Isaacman has had a life of adventure, building a billion-dollar company from his parents’ basement, scaling ice walls in Antarctica, and flying fighter jets as a hobby. But this spacewalk was his biggest challenge yet. He and engineer Sarah Gillis stepped outside in an untested spacesuit, where they spent about 20 minutes in the void. It’s the first time that civilians have ever taken a spacewalk. Until now, this had only been done by astronauts working for government-funded agencies like NASA.

The businessman and tech billionaire, with an estimated net worth of $1.8 billion, is the driving force behind this mission. He began his career at the age of 16, when he left school to start his own company, Shift4. The payment processing company quickly grew to become one of the largest in the US and made him a wealthy man.

Isaacman and Gillis stayed close to the Dragon capsule during their spacewalk. Unlike previous astronaut missions, they were not allowed to go far from the hatch and had to maintain constant physical contact with the spacecraft. They were supplied with oxygen and other supplies via a tether. During their time outside, they performed physical exercises to test the performance of their suits in the extreme conditions.

After the successful mission, the four-man crew returned safely to Earth last Sunday. A livestream showed the Dragon capsule descending with parachutes and landing off the American coast.

Polaris crew is home safe & sound! https://t.co/2wch1wlBoX pic.twitter.com/BYfz3pq3x5

- Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 15, 2024