The highly dangerous spacewalk conducted by civilians is a historic first. SpaceX owner Elon Musk views this mission as an initial step toward the eventual establishment of human settlements on Mars.

On Thursday, SpaceX released live webcam footage showcasing the historic spacewalk performed by two members of the Polaris Dawn crew, marking the first time non-astronauts have conducted such an activity.

On social media platform X, SpaceX announced, "The first spacewalk from Dragon has begun!" referring to the Dragon Crew capsule used for the mission.

Daredevil billionaire Jared Isaacman was the first to exit the capsule, followed by SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis. As Isaacman observed Earth from outside the capsule, he remarked, "Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, it sure looks like a perfect world."

This mission represents Isaacman's second venture into space. Due to the high costs associated with the mission, he contributed to the funding for the upgraded spacesuits required for the journey. Alongside Isaacman and Gillis, the crew included another SpaceX engineer and a US Air Force pilot. The team underwent extensive training in preparation for the mission.

Initially, the mission reached a distance of 870 miles (1,400 km) from Earth, surpassing the International Space Station (ISS) and setting a new record for crewed space flight distance in decades. They later descended to approximately half this altitude to perform the spacewalk, which is typically considered one of the most hazardous aspects of astronaut work.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has indicated that the Polaris Dawn mission is a step toward his broader vision of establishing human settlements on the surface of Mars.