School Dropout To Billionaire: Meet Jared Isaacman, 1st Non-Professional Astronaut To Walk in Space

Jared Isaacman has become first non-professional astronaut to walk in space. On September 15, he stepped out of Polaris Dawn a private crewed spaceflight operated by SpaceX on behalf of Shift4. Isaacman, CEO of Shift4 led mission along with two SpaceX engineers and one retired Air Force pilot. crew travelled higher than anyone could, since Nasa’s Apollo moon missions, with ir Dragon spacecraft reaching a peak altitude of 875 miles (1,408 kilometers), surpassing both International Space Station and Hubble Space Telescope.

Isaacman's life is a perfect example of how persistence and big dreams can take you to places you never thought possible, literally into space. Once a high school dropout from New Jersey, Isaacman has since become a billionaire, a record-breaking pilot, and a space explorer. His story is a reminder that our beginnings don’t have to define our future.

A Dreamer with Big Plans

At just 16, Isaacman me a bold decision to leave school and start a business. With a $10,000 loan from his grandfar, he set up Shift4 Payments in basement of his parents’ home. He didn’t h much, just a couple of computers, some phones, and help of his d and a close friend. But he surely h a vision.

Over time, his hard work paid off. His small startup eventually grew into a company worth $7.4 billion, with more than 2,000 employees across country. "Back n, re’s no way I could have imagined company becoming so big," Isaacman says, looking back. "Some of best memories are from those early days, working late with a small team, learning from our mistakes, and celebrating every little success."

Taking Off- Literally

But Isaacman wasn’t content with just building a successful business. He h anor dream: to fly. In 2009, he set a world record by flying a small jet around world in under 62 hours. Three years later, he founded Draken International, a company that trains pilots for U.S. Air Force which was sold for a hefty sum in 2020.

Even with se incredible achievements, Isaacman h one more goal to go to space since childhood, and in 2021, his dream came true. He led first-ever all-civilian mission to space aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule. It was a historic flight that set record for longest time civilians h spent in space.

Walking Among Stars

Most recently, Isaacman and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis me history again. y stepped out of ir spacecraft during Polaris Dawn mission, becoming first non-professional astronauts from a private company to perform a spacewalk. It was anor huge moment in Isaacman’s extraordinary journey.

"I’ve been lucky in life," Isaacman says with humility. "It started with a teenage dream in my parents’ basement, and now I’ve been able to reach for stars-literally," he said.