SpaceX is set to make history with the first manned space mission over Earth’s poles, a groundbreaking private flight slated for later this year. The mission, named “Fram2” after a 19th-century polar exploration vessel, will last between three to five days and is spearheaded by Chun Wang, a prominent crypto entrepreneur and founder of f2pool and stakefish.
Joining Wang on this pioneering journey will be three polar experts: Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar adventurer Eric Philips. The mission represents a significant leap in the burgeoning field of private space tourism, a sector that has seen rapid growth in the United States in recent years.
Wang, reportedly a Chinese-born Maltese citizen, has played a hands-on role in the mission’s development. “From mission proposal, planning, trajectory design, to crew selection, everything has been done by the customer,” Wang stated on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. He hailed the mission as a new chapter in space exploration.
Historically, satellites have orbited over the poles, but human spaceflight has never achieved this feat due to the challenges posed by Earth’s rotation and radiation exposure. The highest inclination reached by a manned mission to date was the Soviet Vostok 6 mission at 65 degrees, according to the Fram2 mission website. The poles are not visible from the International Space Station (ISS), making this mission particularly significant.
The Fram2 mission will utilize a SpaceX Dragon capsule, outfitted with an observation dome, and will fly at an altitude of 265 to 280 miles (425 to 450 kilometers). The crew intends to conduct various research activities, including capturing the first X-ray images in space and studying aurora-like light phenomena.
SpaceX, led by billionaire Elon Musk, has conducted 13 manned missions over the past four years, including both NASA missions to the ISS and private space tourism ventures. The company’s first private mission, Inspiration4, launched in 2021, was financed by American billionaire Jared Isaacman. SpaceX is also preparing for another private mission, Polaris Dawn, scheduled for August 26, which will feature the first private spacewalk.
As Wang noted, “Until 2021, space missions were solely the privilege of governments. Then Inspiration4 came along and changed everything.”
The Fram2 mission marks another bold step forward in the democratization of space exploration, opening new frontiers for private individuals and scientific discovery.
