How to Watch the SpaceX Spacewalk Live: Where to Stream

The SpaceX Polaris mission launched on Tuesday, September 10, marking a historic milestone with the first-ever commercial spacewalk involving four civilian crew members.

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September 12, 2024 10:13AM EDT
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with the Crew Dragon Resilience capsule, carrying the crew of the Polaris Dawn Mission, lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 10, 2024. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
Image Credit: AFP via Getty Images

The launch of the SpaceX Polaris mission, which took place on Tuesday, September 10, drew considerable attention. Aboard the capsule were four civilians: CEO of Shift4 Payments Jared Isaacman, SpaceX engineers Anna Menon and Sarah Gillis, and former U.S. Air Force pilot Scott Poteet. They aimed to make history by conducting the first commercial spacewalk. With the mission successfully completed in the early hours, many have since wondered how they can watch a replay of the spacewalk.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson celebrated the achievement on X, posting, “Congratulations @PolarisProgram and @SpaceX on the first commercial spacewalk in history! Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry and @NASA’s long-term goal to build a vibrant U.S. space economy.”

How to Watch the SpaceX Spacewalk

Though the launch has already occurred, the mission can still be streamed on SpaceX’s  website and their X page, formerly known as Twitter.

Where Did the SpaceX Polaris Mission Launch From?

The Falcon 9 rocket launched on September 10 at 5:23 a.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida, near Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

When Did the Spacewalk Take Place?

The first commercial spacewalk occurred on Thursday, September 12, beginning with a livestream at 6:12 a.m. ET. The mission was declared complete at 7:59 a.m. ET on SpaceX’s  X account: “The Polaris Dawn spacewalk is now complete, marking the first time commercial astronauts have completed a spacewalk from a commercial spacecraft! Congratulations to @rookisaacman, @Gillis_SarahE, @KiddPoteet, @annawmenon, and to all the SpaceX teams!”

In addition, Isaacman shared his experience during the livestream from about 738 km above Earth, saying in a clip posted by the Polaris Program on X, “SpaceX, back at home, we all have a lot of work to do, but from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world.”

Why Was the Polaris Mission Conducted?

According to the  Polaris Program website, the mission aims to “support scientific research designed to advance both human health on Earth and our understanding of human health during future long-duration spaceflights and be the first to test Starlink laser-based communications in space.”

The crew will spend five days in space before returning on Sunday, September 15.