Florida. Tech billionaire Jared Isaacman and his crew returned to Earth on Sunday after a historic five-day space trip that saw them reach higher altitudes than any astronauts since the Apollo missions.

SpaceX's capsule made a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico near Florida’s Dry Tortugas, marking the conclusion of their mission. Isaacman, along with two SpaceX engineers and a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot, achieved the first private spacewalk while orbiting 460 miles (740 kilometers) above Earth. Their spacecraft reached a peak altitude of 875 miles (1,408 kilometers) following their launch on Tuesday.

Isaacman, who is only the 264th person to perform a spacewalk, and SpaceX’s Sarah Gillis, the 265th, were the first non-professional astronauts to conduct a spacewalk. Isaacman announced the mission's success as the capsule floated in the water, and the crew celebrated their return by pumping their fists on the ship’s deck.

SpaceX chose a new splashdown location near the Dry Tortugas, 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Key West, due to unfavorable weather forecasts along the Florida coast. To mark the occasion, SpaceX employees celebrated with a green turtle balloon at Mission Control in Hawthorne, California.

During the spacewalk on Thursday, the Dragon capsule’s hatch was open for less than 30 minutes. Isaacman briefly tested SpaceX's new spacesuit, while Gillis performed a short routine in orbit. The spacewalk lasted under two hours, significantly shorter than those conducted at the International Space Station.

SpaceX views this mission as a step towards refining spacesuit technology for future Mars missions. Isaacman, who has previously chartered a SpaceX flight and raised over $250 million for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, plans two more flights under his Polaris program. The cost of this latest mission was shared with SpaceX, but the amount spent remains undisclosed.

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