Why first private spacewalk is much more than an adventure for super-rich

As billionaire tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman made the first private spacewalk, he was – just like many astronauts before him – blown away by the view. “Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, Earth sure looks like a perfect world,” he said.

Some may regard such adventures in space with a jaundiced eye, given they are largely the preserve of the super-rich and their friends. And it is true that the money spent on spaceflight could be used to fix many of the problems we face on our far-from-perfect world.

Jared Isaacman was the first person to take part in a private spacewalk, with all the others having been professional astronauts (Picture: SpaceX) | PA

However, at one time, travelling by plane was something only relatively wealthy people could afford, whereas today, for many people it is a mundane, even boring, part of everyday life. Eventually, if the current rate of technological progress is not interrupted by some great catastrophe, spaceflight will become available to the masses.

This first private spacewalk will be the first of many, and the new horizons opened up as a result may be almost as breathtaking as the life-altering perspective provided by looking down on planet Earth from afar.