Space exploration is set to reach new heights as billionaire Jared Isaacman gears up for his second spaceflight, scheduled for early summer.

The mission, known as Polaris Dawn, stands out not only for its ambitious objectives but also for introducing groundbreaking spacesuits, designed to enable the first commercial spacewalk in history.

“We hope to learn an awful lot about our suit and the operation associated with it because it’s the first commercial EVA, the first time you don’t have government astronauts undertaking such a mission,” Mr. Isaacman said, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

“That’s important because if we are going to get to the moon or Mars someday we’re going to have to get out of our vehicles, out of the safety of the habitat and explore and build and repair things,” he said.

Mr. Isaacman, who made headlines with his first space voyage aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience in 2021, is at the helm of this pioneering endeavor. The upcoming mission is the first in a series of up to three flights under the Polaris program, which aims to culminate in the first crewed mission of SpaceX’s Starship.

For the Polaris Dawn mission, Mr. Isaacman and his crew will once again board the Crew Dragon Resilience. However, this time around, they have an unprecedented task ahead of them. The mission’s plan includes depressurizing the spacecraft to remove all air, a critical step that will allow Mr. Isaacman and a selected crewmate to step out into space, marking the first spacewalk by commercial astronauts.

The launch is slated to take place atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39-A, the same location from which Mr. Isaacman launched during his Inspiration4 mission. That mission was notable for its crew selection process, which involved contests and fundraisers, and for promoting a charitable cause, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.