This eagerly awaited event is part of the Polaris Dawn mission, which lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida early on Tuesday morning.
The spacewalk will involve two of the four crew members — Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis — exiting the Crew Dragon in specially designed SpaceX spacesuits that may one day be utilized for lunar and Martian missions.
Contrary to the International Space Station, the Crew Dragon lacks an airlock; therefore, the remaining crew members, Scott Poteet and Anna Menon, will also don the new spacesuits to shield themselves from the harshness of outer space.
SpaceX shared on social media, “After liftoff, the crew began a two-day pre-breathe protocol in preparation for the upcoming spacewalk on Thursday. During this phase, the pressure inside the Dragon is gradually reduced while oxygen levels rise, helping to eliminate nitrogen from the crew’s bloodstream and reducing the risk of decompression sickness during the spacewalk.”
Isaacman and Gillis are expected to spend up to 20 minutes each outside the spacecraft, with Isaacman slated to exit first, followed by Gillis.
Throughout the five-day mission, the crew will also conduct various scientific experiments, having already pushed human exploration further from Earth than any missions in the last five decades.
How to watch
The historic spacewalk of the Polaris Dawn mission is scheduled to commence at 2:23 a.m. ET on Thursday, September 12 (11:23 p.m. PT on Wednesday night).
You can catch the live stream of the spacewalk on SpaceX’s social media channels, including this link.