SpaceX Launches First Private Crew to Orbit Earth from Pole to Pole
SpaceX has launched a private crew on a unique mission to orbit Earth from pole to pole. This marks a new trajectory that no human has travelled before. The mission, called Fram2, is led by crypto entrepreneur Chun Wang. He is a Maltese investor originally from China who founded a bitcoin mining company. Wang is funding and commanding the mission, which takes its name from the famous Norwegian exploration ship “Fram.”
Fram2: A Unique Journey into Space
The crew of four lifted off on Monday at 9:47 p.m. EDT (0147 GMT on Tuesday) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. They are travelling aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule for a free-flying mission lasting three to five days.
During this time, the astronauts will carry out 22 experiments. Most of these focus on how spaceflight and weightlessness impact the human body. The mission is fully private, without any government support.
Before launch, the crew travelled to the launchpad in Tesla vehicles. These cars, made by Elon Musk’s other company, were part of a police-escorted convoy. During the drive, they witnessed a separate Falcon 9 rocket launch as part of a Starlink mission. “We’re gonna watch a rocket launch while on our way to a rocket launch,” Wang posted on X, Musk’s social media platform.
SpaceX Strengthens Grip on Private Space Travel
This is SpaceX’s sixth private astronaut mission and its 16th crewed launch using the Crew Dragon capsule. Funded by NASA, the Dragon spacecraft was designed to transport US astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
SpaceX continues to dominate the private spaceflight industry. While the Boeing Starliner remains in development, Dragon remains the only privately built spacecraft regularly flying in orbit. The typical cost per seat on a Dragon mission is about $55 million.
In the past, wealthy individuals drove demand for private space missions. Today, organisations like Axiom Space use Crew Dragon for national space programmes. However, the Fram2 team breaks from that trend.
Wang’s crew includes Norwegian virtual reality filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics expert and polar scientist Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar explorer Eric Philips. These adventurers aim to make history as the first private team to orbit Earth from pole to pole.
with inputs from Reuters