Rachel Flynn
Live reporter

We're bringing you back down to Earth now as we close today's live page.

It's been a historic day of space exploration, as two non-professional astronauts conducted the first ever private space walk. You can read more about their expedition here - and more about Jared Isaacman here.

This page was edited by Owen Amos and written by Matt Spivey, Georgina Rannard, and myself.

Thanks for joining us - and before you go, why not share Jared Isaacman's view, as he stepped into space:

OK, OK, so we've had the first privately-funded spacewalk. But it seems what you really want to know is...

What are the crew eating in space?

For the first two and a half days, the four on board had fresh food. "The fresh-food options include little sandwiches, pizza slices, and empanadas," Scott Poteet told Time before setting off., external

After that, it will be "Clif Bars (energy bars), beef jerky, and stuff like that". So there you go.

Image source, Getty Images

"Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do," said billionaire businessman Jared Isaacman. "But from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world."

Here are the key moments from today's mission - including the view from 435 miles above Earth.

Image source, Reuters

After the success of the first ever privately-funded spacewalk, what's next for SpaceX's Polaris mission?

According to the company, "The Polaris Program will embark on three human spaceflight missions that will demonstrate new technologies, conduct extensive research and ultimately culminate in the first flight of SpaceX’s Starship with humans on board."

Polaris Dawn - the first mission - is what we've been watching today.

Mission II will build upon it, SpaceX says, "to expand the boundaries of future human spaceflight missions, in-space communications, and scientific research."

The final mission, Mission III, will be "the first-human spaceflight on Starship — the world’s first fully reusable transportation system designed to carry both crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, Mars, and beyond," according to SpaceX.

When the next two missions will take place is not known, but SpaceX say they will be "launching soon".

Day three of the Polaris Dawn mission saw Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis - who left the spacecraft - and crew mates Scott Poteet and Anna Menon make history.

In two days' time they will return to Earth, either splashing down off Florida’s west coast in the Gulf of Mexico, or east coast in the Atlantic Ocean.

One of two recovery vessels, either Shannon or Megan (as they are known), will recover the capsule. From there, the crew will breathe fresh air for the first time since leaving Earth on Tuesday.

Image source, EPA

Image source, Getty Images

Jared Isaacman is currently one of the most Googled people in the world, after becoming the first non-professional astronaut to walk in space. But who is he?

The 41-year-old billionaire bankrolled the Polaris Dawn mission and is also the mission commander.

In 1999 he founded the payment processing company Shift4 Payments, which according to Forbes handles payments for a third of America's restaurants and hotels.

Forbes also says he has a net worth of $1.9bn.

He began taking flying lessons in 2004 and five years later set a world record for circumnavigating the world in a light jet.

Isaacman also founded Draken International, which owns the world's largest private fleet of military aircraft.

The cost of this week's mission has not been revealed - but he reportedly spent $200m on a previous SpaceX civilian mission in 2021.

We're just hearing from SpaceX that EVA operations - aka extravehicular activity - are complete.

Everybody inside the craft is healthy and will shortly be able to get out of their suits.

What does a spacewalk do for us, on Earth?published at 13:02 British Summer Time 12 September

13:02 BST 12 September

Georgina Rannard
Science reporter

There is no shortage of problems on Earth in need of money to solve them.

So many watching this spacewalk will question if it is a wise use of resources. But others will celebrate this as a boundary broken - saying this is what innovation and enterprise looks like.

Government space agencies want private companies to shoulder the financial burden of expensive space travel, as humans get closer to permanent settlements on the Moon, or more Mars exploration.

And - as well as the symbolic achievement of taking humans further than any programme since the Apollo missions in the 1970s - the Polaris programme is also doing science.

In one case, they have teamed up with the US Air Force Academy to investigate low-Earth orbit botany.

In short, that's how microgravity and fungus affect root growth, so we can understand plant growth for providing food on the Moon or Mars. They also claim it could improve plant growth and food production on Earth.

And in general, when it comes to what does space do for us, many still point to innovations from Nasa’s Apollo programme - saying it meant that things like satellite communications and laser technology developed faster.

Here's a recap of the main clips from Jared Isaacman's historic mission - the first time a non-professional astronaut walked in space.

A view now of the screens the astronauts are seeing, as the atmosphere equalises.

Image source, SpaceX

The astronauts are waiting patiently - Space X says the next process could take up to 50 minutes.

Before the astronauts can take off their suits, they need to let the atmosphere equalise and perform a cabin leak check.

SpaceX says it seems to be going smoothly.

Image source, SpaceX

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent

The crew are now doing in reverse what they did at the beginning of the spacewalk.

They are re-pressurising the cabin, so there is normal pressure, once that has happened that will be the completion of the EVA (extravehicular activity).

And it will be a job well done.

Georgina Rannard
Science reporter

That’s it - Isaacman and Gillis are both back inside.

Talk to anyone who has done a spacewalk, and they will say it is a life-changing, incredibly powerful experience.

Add to that the knowledge that, in the case of these two, they will go down in history as the first non-professional spacewalkers.

There are still two days left of the Polaris mission before they return to Earth on Saturday - parachuting into the ocean in a spot off the coast of Florida, where a ship will retrieve the spacecraft and crew.

We've lost the live images for a moment, but we know that mission specialist Sarah Gillis is making her way back into the spacecraft.

We've just heard that the hatch is closed, and she's back inside.

Pallab Ghosh
Science correspondent

We're witnessing Sarah Gillis poking out from the nose-cone of the spacecraft. She is carrying out tests on the mobility of the spacesuit.

The idea is develop the next generation of spacesuits. Although it is a lot of fun, it is a historic moment.

And this is all in a day's work for Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis - who have just become the first two people to carry out a privately-funded spacewalk.

As the spacecraft flies over New Zealand, Gillis has around a minute left of her spacewalk before returning.

Mission specialist Sarah Gillis has left the spacecraft and her spacewalk is under way.

Remember - you can watch it all by pressing watch live at the top of the page.

Image source, SpaceX

Mission specialist Sarah Gillis is now making her way out of the spacecraft.

Image source, SpaceX