SpaceX is poised to make history in space exploration later this year with the launch of its inaugural crewed mission dedicated to studying Earth’s polar regions. Announced on August 12, the mission, dubbed Fram2, pays tribute to the Norwegian ship renowned for its groundbreaking voyages to the Arctic and Antarctic from 1893 to 1912.
Commanding the Fram2 mission will be Chun Wang, an enterprising adventurer hailing from Malta. According to SpaceX’s mission briefing, Wang intends to leverage this expedition to inspire a sense of wonder and curiosity among the public, while also showcasing how advanced technology can extend the frontiers of exploration on Earth through dedicated research.
Joining Wang on this historic flight are three other crew members: Jannicke Mikkelsen from Norway, who will assume the role of vehicle commander; Eric Philips from Australia, serving as the vehicle pilot; and Rabea Rogge from Germany, designated as mission specialist. Notably, all four individuals are first-time space travelers.
If all goes according to plan, Fram2 is slated for launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Space Coast later this year, transporting the crew to orbit aboard a Crew Dragon capsule. Unlike previous missions, this spacecraft will not rendezvous with the International Space Station (ISS); instead, it will navigate Earth’s orbit independently.
During the anticipated 3-to-5-day mission, the crew plans to utilize Dragon’s cupola to observe Earth’s polar regions from an altitude of 425-450 kilometers (approximately 249 to 264 miles). They will collaborate with space physicists and citizen scientists to investigate unusual light emissions that resemble auroras.
Specifically, the crew aims to study green fragments and mauve ribbons of continuous emissions akin to the phenomenon known as STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), which has been recorded at altitudes of approximately 400-500 kilometers (249 to 311 miles) above Earth’s atmosphere.
In addition to their observational studies, the Fram2 crew will also focus on the effects of spaceflight on the human body, including the pioneering task of capturing the first-ever X-ray image of a human in space.
Fram2 marks SpaceX’s sixth private astronaut mission. Previous missions include Inspiration4, which launched in September 2021, and three flights operated by Axiom Space—Ax-1, Ax-2, and Ax-3—taking place in April 2022, May 2023, and January to February of this year, respectively. The upcoming Polaris Dawn mission, scheduled for August 26, is the first of three planned missions within the Polaris Program, all funded and commanded by billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who previously led Inspiration4.
Additionally, SpaceX has conducted nine astronaut missions to the ISS for NASA, commencing with the Demo-2 test flight in 2020.