Tech billionaire Isaacman on first private spacewalk from SpaceX capsule

A billionaire kicked off the first private spacewalk Thursday, teaming up with SpaceX on the daring endeavour hundreds of miles above Earth.

Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman and his crew waited until their capsule was depressurised before popping open the hatch. Isaacman was to be the first one out, aiming to join a small elite group of spacewalkers who until now had represented countries.

All four on board donned SpaceX's new spacewalking suits to protect themselves from the harsh vacuum. They launched on Tuesday from Florida, rocketing farther from Earth than anyone since NASA's moonwalkers. The orbit was reduced by half to 458 miles (737 kilometres) for the spacewalk.

It was the main focus of the five-day flight financed by Isaacman and Elon Musk's company, and the culmination of years of development geared toward settling Mars and other planets.

This first spacewalking test, expected to last about two hours, involved more stretching than walking. The plan called for Isaacman