SpaceX’s Fram2 Polar-Orbiting Mission

1. SpaceX launched the historic Fram2 mission on March 31 2025, sending 4  private astronauts into a polar orbit around Earth.
2. This is the first-ever attempt by humans to orbit Earth from the poles, marking a big step forward in space exploration.

Launch Details

1. Rocket and Spacecraft: SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched by a Falcon 9 rocket.
2. Launch Site: NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
3. Mission Duration: 3 to 5 days.

About Polar Orbits:

1. A Polar Orbit (PO) is a type of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) that ranges between 200 km to 1,000 km above Earth.

Orbit Details

1. Altitude: 267 miles above Earth.

2. Orbit Time: One orbit every 46 minutes.

3. Unique Feature: Unlike traditional orbits near the equator, this mission flies directly over both the North and South Poles.

Trajectory :

1. Satellites in polar orbits travel from one pole to the other, unlike the typical west-to-east path of equatorial orbits.

2. A deviation of up to 10 degrees from the exact North-South path is still considered a polar orbit.

Why Polar Orbits Matter ?

1. Global Coverage: Polar orbits let satellites cover the entire Earth over time as the planet rotates below them.

2. Uses: These orbits are mainly used for Earth observation, climate studies, and military missions.

3. Fram2’s Achievement: The Fram2 mission is the first human spaceflight to use this type of orbit.

Goals of the Fram2 Mission :

1. Inspiration: The mission is inspired by the crew’s passion for polar exploration and honors early polar explorers.

2.  Scientific Research : 22 studies will be done to understand how humans adapt to microgravity, including:

   1. Growing oyster mushrooms in space (Mission MushVRoom).

   2. Performing the first-ever X-ray imaging in space.

   3. Testing exercise routines to prevent muscle and bone loss.

   4. Collecting data on Earth’s polar regions for climate research.

Medical Tests:

1. Studying how the body reacts to weightlessness and motion sickness.

2. Testing unassisted exit from the Dragon capsule after the mission to check the crew's physical readiness.

3. The crew will also be the first to film Earth’s polar regions from space.
    

Why It’s Called ‘Fram2’

1. The mission is named after the Norwegian ship Fram, which was used for early 20th-century polar exploration.

2. The ship helped key expeditions like Fridtjof Nansen’s Arctic Ocean drift and Roald Amundsen’s South Pole expedition.

3. The crew carries a small piece of the original Fram ship into space to honor its legacy.

Who’s on the Rocket?

The Fram2 mission is crewed by 4 private astronauts, none of whom have been to space before:

Name	Role	Background
Chun Wang	Commander	A Malta-based entrepreneur from China, co-founder of F2Pool, a global bitcoin mining network. Led and funded the mission.
Jannicke Mikkelsen	Vehicle Commander	A Norwegian filmmaker with a specialization in extreme environments like the Arctic. Worked with David Attenborough on underwater documentaries. Responsible for filming and documenting the mission.
Rabea Rogge	Pilot	A German engineer and scientist specializing in robotics and polar research. The first female German astronaut to go into space.
Eric Philips	Mission Specialist and Medical Officer	An Australian polar explorer with extensive experience leading ski expeditions to both poles. Responsible for the health and well-being of the crew.

 

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