SpaceX Launches First Polar Orbit Mission with Private Crew
SpaceX launched a private spaceflight mission on Monday, sending a crew of four on a journey to orbit Earth over the North and South Poles—something no human has done before. The mission, called Fram2, is led and funded by cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang, who made his fortune in Bitcoin mining. The spacecraft, a Crew Dragon capsule, lifted off Monday night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
The crew includes Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, Australian adventurer Eric Philips, and German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, all first-time astronauts. During their three-to-five-day mission, they will conduct research on spaceflight’s effects on the human body. “We have an untraditional mission,” Mikkelsen said, adding, “We’re not your typical NASA astronauts.” Wang, who became a Maltese citizen in 2023, said his fascination with exploration started as a child, staring at “the blank white space at the bottom of the world map.”
The mission's unusual polar orbit required the Falcon 9 rocket to launch southward, a rare and power-intensive trajectory. While some experts question the scientific necessity of the flight path, it adds a unique aspect to the privately funded journey. SpaceX executive Jessica Jensen called it “a small step towards making spaceflight more like easier air travel, where anyone can fly.” After completing their time in orbit, the crew is set to return with a splashdown off the U.S. West Coast.
