A technology billionaire achieved a milestone by conducting the first private spacewalk hundreds of miles above Earth on Thursday, an undertaking that has traditionally been reserved for professional astronauts.
Jared Isaacman, a 41-year-old entrepreneur from New Jersey, collaborated with SpaceX to test new spacesuits during his chartered flight. The spacewalk was a daring feat, which included SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis stepping outside after Isaacman returned safely inside.
Isaacman, who serves as CEO and founder of Shift4, a credit card processing company, has not revealed the amount he invested in the flight. This mission was the first of three in his Polaris program, with this particular one named Polaris Dawn. In 2021, he piloted SpaceX’s inaugural private flight, which featured contest winners and a cancer survivor.
Prior to this event, a total of 263 individuals had conducted spacewalks, representing 12 different countries. The first spacewalk was performed by Alexei Leonov from the Soviet Union in 1965, followed by Ed White of NASA a few months later.
Having begun flying lessons in 2004, Isaacman set a world record for circling the globe five years later. He graduated with a degree in professional aeronautics from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2011 and is a married father of two daughters.
Isaacman founded Shift4 in 1999, starting in his parents’ basement at the young age of 16. The company currently processes payments for approximately one-third of the restaurants and hotels in the United States. He took Shift4 public in June 2020 and owns 38% of its stock.
In addition, he established Draken International in 2011, a defense firm that operates the world’s largest private military aircraft fleet and trains Air Force pilots. He later sold a majority stake in Draken for a nine-figure amount.
Isaacman has an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion.