SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission: Meet the astronauts set for historic spacewalk

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission is poised to make history this week with the first privately managed commercial spacewalk, a risky endeavour previously undertaken only by government astronauts .

Polaris Program is a pioneering initiative designed to advance human spaceflight capabilities rapidly while also raising funds and awareness for critical causes on Earth.

Named after the North Star, Polaris has historically guided navigation on Earth and in the skies.

The mission, scheduled for launch at 3:38 am ET (0738 GMT) on Aug. 27 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is expected to last six days, with the spacewalk planned for the third day.

Billionaire entrepreneur named Jared Isaacmans will be leading three other privately trained astronauts on a SpaceX vehicle for Polaris Dawn mission.

Jared Isaacman will be the mission commander, Scott Poteet as the mission pilot, Sarah Gillis as a mission specialist, and Anna Menon as both a mission specialist and medical officer.

Two of the mission’s four-member crew will venture out of their Crew Dragon capsule in Earth’s orbit for a tethered spacewalk, marking the first major test of SpaceX’s new spacesuits.

The capsule lacks an airlock and will completely depressurize for the spacewalk, requiring all four crew members to rely on their suits for survival.

Here's a look at the profile of the astronauts:

JARED ISAACMAN

Jared Isaacman, the billionaire CEO of payments processing firm Shift4 Payments and a seasoned pilot, is commanding the Polaris Dawn mission and will be one of the two members - along with Sarah Gillis - performing the spacewalk outside the capsule.

The mission will be his second foray into space, following his leadership of the first all-civilian Inspiration4 mission to orbit Earth in 2021, organized and primarily funded by him in partnership with SpaceX.

After Polaris Dawn, Isaacman has two more missions planned under the Polaris program - another flight on Crew Dragon followed by a flight on Starship, SpaceX's next-generation rocket under development.

SARAH GILLIS

Sarah Gillis, a graduate from University of Colorado Boulder with an engineering degree, began as an intern at SpaceX in 2015 and is now the company's senior space operations engineer. She trains astronauts on safety and flight operations.

Gillis, Polaris Dawn's mission specialist, has trained NASA astronauts for several operations, including International Space Stations Dragon missions Demo-2 and Crew-1 and Inspiration4 mission in 2021.

SCOTT POTEET

Scott Poteet, the mission pilot for Polaris Dawn, had a 20-year career in the US Air Force, with more than 3,200 flight hours in various aircraft including the F-16 fighter jet.

Poteet's involvement in the private space sector began when he served as Mission Director for the Inspiration4 mission.

The New Hampshire native's role in the latest mission extends beyond just piloting the spacecraft to assisting with the spacewalk, providing communication support and collaborating with mission control.

Poteet was the vice president of strategy at Isaacman's Shift4 company until 2022. Until 2020, he was a business development director at defense contractor Draken International, founded by Isaacman, before he sold a majority stake in the firm to Blackstone in 2019.

ANNA MENON

Anna Menon is a mission specialist and medical officer for the program and is a lead space operations engineer at SpaceX, where she manages the development of crew operations, ensuring that procedures and protocols are in place for astronauts during their missions.

She holds a Master of Science degree in biomedical engineering from Duke University.

The former NASA biomedical flight controller will be responsible for the crew's health and well-being during the Polaris Dawn mission, monitoring their physiological responses and providing medical care if needed.