The Polaris Dawn commander discusses the upcoming SpaceX spacewalk mission.

• SpaceX is set to launch its first spacewalk mission from Florida on Aug. 26.
• Jared Isaacman, Scott Poteet, Anna Menon, and Sarah Gillis make up the four-person crew.
• Isaacman's human spaceflight effort, known as the Polaris Program, includes three flights purchased from SpaceX in 2022, starting with the Polaris Dawn mission.

By the end of the month, SpaceX will launch its next private mission, which includes the first attempt to have astronauts exit the spacecraft.

The first of three SpaceX flights purchased by billionaire Jared Isaacman for his Polaris Program human spaceflight effort will launch from Florida on Aug. 26.

Isaacman stated in an interview with CNBC's Investing in Space last month that although we do not have the freedom to launch at any time of day, he believes it will be close to dawn, which is appropriate for the mission.

Isaacman will lead a crew of four on a mission, including longtime colleague Scott Poteet as the pilot and Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis, both SpaceX employees, as the medical officer and mission specialist, respectively.

The multi-day trip won't be heading to a destination but will instead be a free-flying mission tracing orbits that the crew hopes will go far from Earth.

Isaacman stated that they were heading to an altitude that no human had reached in over 50 years.

But the centerpiece of Polaris Dawn is the planned spacewalk.

No private venture has attempted extravehicular activities (EVAs) before, although they have been a routine part of NASA's astronaut missions, such as when maintenance is required outside the International Space Station.

Isaacman acknowledged that a spacewalk entails being surrounded by death, a scenario for which he and his crew have undergone extensive training.

Isaacman stated that the vacuum chamber is the closest thing to space, providing the sensation of pressure and temperature changes, as well as the psychological stress of being in a harsh environment.

Five day mission plan

Isaacman outlined the daily routine for Polaris Dawn, a spacecraft that will remain in orbit for up to five days.

On the first day, the focus is on finding a suitable time to launch Polaris Dawn with minimal risk from micrometeorite orbital debris. Once the Dragon capsule Resilience reaches an orbit of 190 kilometers by 1,200 kilometers, the crew will conduct extensive checks.

Isaacman emphasized the importance of checking for faults in the vehicle before traveling to an altitude of 1,400 kilometers.

The South Atlantic Anomaly, a high radiation zone, will also be passed through early by the spacecraft.

To minimize radiation exposure, it is best to take the journey at the lowest altitude possible. Even at 200 kilometers, the radiation level is significantly higher. According to Isaacman, our two or three passes through the South Atlantic Anomaly at high altitude will account for almost the entire radiation exposure on the mission, equivalent to three months on the International Space Station.

On day two, Polaris Dawn will conduct approximately 40 experiments related to science and research, while also preparing for the spacewalk by testing out the EVA suits.

To ensure that there are no surprises in microgravity compared to what we tested on Earth, Isaacman stated.

Day three is the big one: The EVA.

The spacewalk

So who on the crew will perform the spacewalk?

Isaacman stated that all four of us are doing it, as there is no airlock and it is being vented down to vacuum inside the spacecraft.

Isaacman and Gillis will journey outside of Dragon, while Poteet and Menon stay inside as support.

The EVA is anticipated to last for two hours in total. Isaacman emphasized that the spacewalk is primarily a testing and development procedure.

Isaacman stated that we need to gather as much information as possible about the suit and procedure, but we are limited by the amount of oxygen and nitrogen available.

The mission commander highlighted that there will be numerous cameras both inside and outside the capsule during the spacewalk, which Polaris Dawn intends to livestream.

Brand new spacesuits

The necessary equipment for the EVA is SpaceX's spacesuits.

Isaacman stated that the company has used its minimalist-looking, black-and-white IVA suit to create its EVA suit after hundreds of hours of testing different materials over years.

Isaacman stated that our main objective is to learn as much as possible about the suit.

"Building the next generation is the focus of everything. We are constantly improving this suit design to enable SpaceX to have hundreds or thousands of suits for missions to the moon, Mars, and low Earth orbit in the future. Creating a new EVA suit is a challenging task," he stated.

Isaacman hopes that Polaris Dawn's mission to push the boundaries of private spaceflight will inspire others, just like his first trip to orbit.

"The inspiration aspect of it lies in the novelty of anything that deviates from the norm, sparking curiosity and wonder about what the future may hold."