• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly

2

After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history

3

Current price of silver as of Tuesday, July 14, 2026

1

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly

2

After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history

3

Current price of silver as of Tuesday, July 14, 2026
TechAerospace

Meet the crew of SpaceX’s all-civilian spacewalkers, which includes a billionaire and an Air Force vet

By
Tristan Bove
Tristan Bove
Contributing Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Tristan Bove
Tristan Bove
Contributing Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 15, 2022, 2:18 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

What would you do in your spare time if you were worth over $2 billion? Buy another home? Retire early? Travel? 

Or perhaps lead an orbital spaceflight nearly 600 km above the Earth’s surface—twice? 

That is exactly what Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of payment processing company Shift4, is doing. Isaacman announced this week that he would be splitting the cost with SpaceX to send him and a crew of three other civilian space travelers on a five-day trip orbiting the Earth which could break several records, including attempting the first civilian spacewalk. 

The program is called Polaris and will include up to three spaceflights over the next several years, according to a tweet put out by Polaris’ account and shared by Isaacman. Its inaugural flight, named Polaris Dawn, could lift off before the end of 2022 on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon space capsule, while two further Polaris missions will fly at unknown dates.

Isaacman did not immediately return Fortune’s request for comment. 

This will not be Isaacman’s first time in space, as the billionaire already funded and captained the Inspiration4 mission that took place last September, also launched by SpaceX, which made history as the first all-civilian crewed spaceflight in history.

Isaacman will be accompanied by former U.S. Air Force member Scott Poteet, who has worked with him at a number of his businesses for years. Isaacman chose Poteet to join him on the voyage after the pilot’s successful stint as Mission Director on the Inspiration4 program. The mission will also include two current SpaceX employees: Sarah Gillis, who oversees the company’s astronaut training program, and Anna Menon, who has previously worked in Mission Control and crew operations for the company.

The Polaris Dawn mission, which has its own website, has a few main goals. The crew will attempt to reach the highest orbital distance ever flown to conduct research on the effects of solar radiation in high-Earth orbit on human health during spaceflight. They will also test out a new plan for an interplanetary communication system based on laser technology using Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites. Starlink, another Musk venture that is attempting to provide fast Internet coverage across the globe, currently has at least 2,000 satellites in orbit.

The Polaris Dawn crew will also attempt the first-ever civilian spacewalk with suits specially designed by SpaceX for this purpose. While neither SpaceX nor Isaacman have announced which astronaut will be performing the spacewalk, this is the first time someone who does not work for a government will be stepping out into space.

The Polaris mission is the latest in a growing line of civilian space travel ventures. Before the Inspiration4 flight launched off last year, Jeff Bezos and three other passengers had already ascended to orbit with his private spaceflight company, Blue Origin, competing at the time with Richard Branson’s own Virgin Galactic space expedition, when the British businessman became the first billionaire in space. 

The Polaris mission is notable for the groundwork it is setting for SpaceX’s plans for its Starship system. Isaacman and Polaris are planning on launching a third and final flight at an unannounced date which will double as the first crewed spaceflight of Elon Musk’s cherished Starship, a transportation system SpaceX and NASA plan to use to fly humans to the moon within the end of the decade.

Never miss a story: Follow your favorite topics and authors to get a personalized email with the journalism that matters most to you.
About the Author
By Tristan BoveContributing Reporter
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

zuck
LawLayoffs
26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave
By Barbara Ortutay, Alexandra Olson and The Associated PressJuly 15, 2026
8 minutes ago
Bank of America CFO Alastair Borthwick
BankingCFO Daily
Bank of America’s AI bet is starting to pay off, its CFO says
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 15, 2026
17 minutes ago
Is your AI really working? Why productivity isn’t the same as progress
Future of WorkBrainstorm Tech
Is your AI really working? Why productivity isn’t the same as progress
By Jamie GarverickJuly 15, 2026
27 minutes ago
Salar al Khafaji stands while Sebastiaan Visser sits on a stool in front of a robotics warehouse
InnovationRobotics
He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he’s betting $32 million that robots can fix construction’s labor crisis
By Lily Mae LazarusJuly 15, 2026
58 minutes ago
Current price of Ethereum for July 15, 2026
Personal FinanceEthereum
Current price of Ethereum for July 15, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 15, 2026
2 hours ago
Kevin Ryan’s AlleyCorp raises new $335 million fund, all in on early-stage bets
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Kevin Ryan’s AlleyCorp raises new $335 million fund, all in on early-stage bets
By Allie GarfinkleJuly 15, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
Newsletters
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
By Sydney LakeJuly 14, 2026
20 hours ago
After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
North America
After donating $48 billion to the Gates Foundation, Warren Buffett is quietly ending one of the biggest philanthropic relationships in history
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 14, 2026
19 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, July 14, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Tuesday, July 14, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of gold as of July 14, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of July 14, 2026
By Danny BakstJuly 14, 2026
24 hours ago
United States' $39 trillion national debt will mean fewer jobs at lower wages for Gen Z, according to think tank
Economy
United States' $39 trillion national debt will mean fewer jobs at lower wages for Gen Z, according to think tank
By Eleanor PringleJuly 14, 2026
1 day ago
'He found their weakness. It might have been sex. It might be power': Warren Buffett stunned by Epstein pull as he snubs Gates Foundation
Banking
'He found their weakness. It might have been sex. It might be power': Warren Buffett stunned by Epstein pull as he snubs Gates Foundation
By Josh Funk and The Associated PressJuly 14, 2026
22 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.