SpaceX Polaris Dawn Crew Returns to Earth After Historic First Private Spacewalk

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn crew, led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, has successfully completed a five-day mission in orbit, marking a major milestone for the commercial space industry. The crew, which included two SpaceX engineers and a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot, performed the first private spacewalk while orbiting nearly 460 miles above Earth. The spacewalk was a historic moment, with Isaacman becoming only the 264th person to perform a spacewalk since the Soviet Union's first spacewalk in 1965. The crew's spacecraft, Dragon, reached a peak altitude of 875 miles following liftoff from Florida and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida's Dry Tortugas. NASA hailed the mission as a "giant leap forward" for the commercial space industry. The crew's return to Earth marked the end of a five-day mission, during which they traveled further into space than any humans for more than 50 years, with temperatures in the spacecraft reaching as high as 1,900C (3,500 degrees Fahrenheit).