♪♪ >>> THIS MORNING FOUR CIVILIAN ASTRONAUTS SPLASHED DOWN SAFELY IN THE GULF OF MEXICO OFF OF THE FLORIDA COAST AFTER A FIVE-DAY MISSION TO OUTER SPACE. THE SPACEX POLARIS DAWN MISSION INCLUDED THE FIRST-EVER CIVILIAN SPACE WALK CONDUCTED BY A BILLIONAIRE WHO STEPPED OUT FOR A TEN-MINUTE STROLL AND A SPECTACULAR VIEW OF THEIR HOME PLANET. THE SUCCESSFUL TRIP WAS ANOTHER STEP IN THE DIRECTION OF CIVILIANS, LIKE YOU AND ME, TRAVELING INTO SPACE. NBC'S PRISCILLA THOMPSON HAS OUR "SUNDAY FOCUS." >>> FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE, IGNITION. >> Reporter: POLARIS DAWN BLASTING OFF FROM EARTH THIS WEEK ON A HISTORIC MISSION. THE ALL-CIVILIAN CREW LED BY TECH BILLIONAIRE JERROD ISAACMAN. >> GO. INITIATION AND GO. >> Reporter: ISAACMAN AND SARA GILLIS STEPPING OUT INTO HISTORY. >> YOU ARE GO TO OPEN HATCH. >> Reporter: THIS TRIP WAS NO JOY RIDE. THERE WAS REAL SCIENCE TO BE DONE INCLUDING TESTING A NEW SPACE SUIT TO PROTECT ASTRONAUTS FROM RADIATION AND EXTREME TEMPERATURES AND TRYING OUT A NEW HIGH-SPEED INTERNET SYSTEM. >> THIS MISSION IS A LOT MORE THAN TOURISM. THESE ARE VERY AMBITION, VERY USEFUL TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES. >> Reporter: THE CREW ABOARD THE "POLARIS DAWN" FLYING FURTHER INTO SPACE THAN ANYONE SINCE THE "APOLLO 17" MOON MISSION MORE THAN A HALF CENTURY AGO. AND TWO OF THE CREW MEMBERS, SARAH GILLIS TRAVELED DEEPER IN ORBIT THAN ANY WOMAN IN HISTORY. NASA IS HAPPY TO HAVE THE COMPETITION AND IT SET ITS SIGHTS ON THE MOON. THEY ALREADY PULLED OFF THE "ARTIMIS" MISSION AND WOULD LIKE A CRUDE FLY-BY OF THE MOON NEXT YEAR. AND EVENTUALLY SEND ASTRONAUTS TO THE MOON ON "ARTIMIS 3." THE CHARISMATIC BUSINESS LEADERS HAVE A PASSION FOR SPACE TRAVEL AS WELL. >> YEARS AGO IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN COUNTRIES COMPETING TO GO TO SPACE, AND NOW WHAT WE'RE SEEING, I THINK, ARE COMPANIES COMPETING AGAINST EACH OTHER. >> Reporter: YOU LIKELY KNOW THE MAIN PLAYERS. ELON MUSK, SPACEX, WHICH BUILT THE "POLARIS DAWN" AND ITS CAPSULE, RICHARD BRANSON. >> AND WE ARE HEADED TO SPACE, FOLKS. >> Reporter: AND AMAZON FOUNDER JEFF BEZOS' BLUE ORIGIN, WHO FLEW "STAR TREK" ACTOR WILLIAM SHATNER INTO SPACE IN 2021. >> NO DESCRIPTION CAN EQUAL THIS. >> Reporter: THE RISE HAS HELPED KICK START A NEW ERA OF SPACE EXPLORATION. >> NASA HAS BEEN TRYING TO STIMULATE A PRIVATE SPACE INDUSTRY. SHOWING HOW TO OPERATE AND DO THINGS SAFELY AND NOW WE'RE SEEING SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF THAT. >> Reporter: FOR COMPANIES LIKE SPACEX, THEIR GOALS ARE MOON BASES AND EVENTUALLY HUMAN SETTLEMENT ON MARS. >> THANKS FOR FLYING SPACEX. >> Reporter: AS HUMANITY PUSHES OUT INTO NEW FRONTIERS FAR BEYOND OUR PLANET. >> AND PRISCILLA JOINS ME NOW LIVE. GOOD MORNING. A SUCCESSFUL "POLARIS DAWN" MISS, IT'S A BIG STEP IN CIVILIAN SPACE TRAVEL. WHERE DOES IT GO FROM HERE? >> Reporter: YEAH, WILLIE, GOOD MORNING. "POLARIS DAWN" IS THE FIRST OF THREE HUMAN SPACE FLIGHTS AS PART OF THIS PROGRAM. MISSION TWO WILL FOCUS ON IN-SPACE COMMUNICATION AND RESEARCH AND MISSION THREE HOPES TO SEND HUMANS UP ONBOARD SPACEX'S STARSHIP, THE SPACECRAFT THAT THEY'RE HOPING WILL ONE DAY CARRY HUMANS TO MARS. AND ISAACMAN, THE BILLIONAIRE BUSINESSMAN BEHIND -- WHO FUNDED THIS "POLARIS" MISSION, HAS PROPOSED A MISSION TO PERFORM MAINTENANCE ON THE AGING HUBBELL TELESCOPE. LOTS OF EXCITING THINGS HAPPENING AS THE SPACE RACE HEATS UP WITH HOPES TO SEND CIVILIANS TO THE MOON AND TO MA