The SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew, an all-civilian space team, has successfully concluded their historic five-day journey in orbit, marking a milestone as the first privately funded and operated mission of its kind.
Led by billionaire Jared Isaacman, the U.S.-based crew included Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon, both from SpaceX, as well as mission specialist Kidd Poteet.
Their mission made history by reaching the highest altitude achieved by any human crew in over 50 years.
The team returned to Earth in the Dragon capsule, which splashed down safely off the coast of Florida on Sunday morning. SpaceX confirmed the successful landing on its official X account, writing, “Splashdown of Dragon confirmed! Welcome back to Earth.”
As the spacecraft re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, it faced extreme heat due to the high-speed descent at roughly 17,000 miles per hour. Despite this, the Dragon capsule’s heat shield provided sufficient protection for the crew.
Once the capsule landed in the ocean, it was retrieved by rescue teams who hoisted it aboard a recovery vessel known as the Dragon’s Nest.
Following thorough safety checks, the crew exited the spacecraft and began their return to dry land.
NASA praised the mission, calling it “a giant leap forward” for the future of commercial space travel.
