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During the five days mission, the crew will conduct SpaceX‘s inaugural Extravehicular Activity (EVA) from the Dragon spacecraft, making it the first commercial astronaut spacewalk.This historic event will also be the first instance of four astronauts being exposed to the vacuum of space at the same time.
“In a post on X, formerly known as twitter, SpaceX shared a video and said, The SpaceX Extravehicular Activity (EVA) suit— At ~700 km above Earth, the EVA suit will support the Polaris Program’s Polaris Dawn crew in the vacuum of space during the first-ever commercial astronaut spacewalk.”
Advancements in EVA suit design
This suit, an advancement from the current Intra Vehicular Activity (IVA) suit worn aboard Dragon human spaceflight missions, ensures the crew’s safety and functionality in the vacuum of space.
The EVA suit has been designed with a focus on mobility, incorporating new materials, fabrication processes, and innovative joint designs to enhance flexibility for astronauts in pressurized scenarios while maintaining comfort in unpressurized situations.
The 3D-printed helmet incorporates a new visor to reduce glare during the EVA in addition to the new Heads-Up Display (HUD) and camera that provide information on the suit’s pressure, temperature, and relative humidity.
The suit includes upgrades for improved reliability and redundancy during spacewalks, featuring added seals and pressure valves to maintain pressurization and ensure the crew’s safety.
Evolution of EVA suit
The EVA suit has evolved from the Intra Vehicular Activity (IVA) suit and includes improved mobility, an advanced helmet Heads-Up Display (HUD) and camera, new thermal management textiles, and materials borrowed from Falcon’s interstage and Dragon’s trunk.
The Polaris Program, announced by Jared Isaacman and SpaceX in February 2022, aims to rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities while supporting important causes on Earth.
The development of the EVA suit and the execution of the spacewalk are crucial steps towards creating a scalable design for spacesuits that can be used on future long-duration missions as humanity expands its presence beyond Earth.
The enhancements to the EVA suit are part of a scalable design that allows teams to produce and adapt the suit to different body types, promoting greater accessibility to space for all of humanity.
Debut of EVA suit in low orbit
While the Polaris Dawn mission will be the first time the EVA suit is used in low-Earth orbit, its ultimate purpose is to support the construction of a base on the Moon and a city on Mars, which will require millions of spacesuits.
In its first mission, Polaris Dawn, Isaacman, the commander, will fly a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft alongside Sarah Gillis, Anna Menon and Scott Poteet. Polaris’s second launch will also employ a Dragon, but the third aims to be the first crewed mission for SpaceX’s next-generation Starship spacecraft.