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Billionaire Jared Isaacman and SpaceX crew trainer Sarah Gillis plan to open the forward hatch of their Polaris Dawn spacecraft Thursday morning to take turns floating outside in the first non-government spacewalk in the history of space exploration.

With crewmates Anna Menon and Scott Poteet monitoring safety tethers and umbilicals inside the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, Isaacman and Gillis plan to float out into open space after depressurizing the spacecraft around 5:58 a.m. EDT, using a scaffold-like “Skywalker” assembly extending from the hatch for stability.

While their feet will be just outside the hatch, they will not “free float” away from the Crew Dragon. Their SpaceX-designed pressure suits are not equipped with their own oxygen supply or other life support equipment and rely on the 12-foot-long umbilicals to deliver air, power and communications.

As Isaacman and then Gillis float just outside the hatch, they will test the comfort and mobility of their pressurized extra-vehicular activity, or EVA, suits, moving their arms, hands and legs through a series of positions to find out how much effort is required to carry out basic tasks.

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