SpaceX Falcon Rocket Launch

Fram2 Mission: Exploring Space Over Earth’s Poles

Named after the famous ship that helped early explorers reach the Arctic and Antarctic, the Fram2 mission will be led by Commander Chun Wang. He’s an entrepreneur and explorer who co-founded the companies f2pool and stakefish. Joining him as vehicle commander is Jannicke Mikkelsen, a film director and cinematographer. The pilot will be Eric Philips, a polar adventurer who has completed skiing expeditions to both the North and South Poles. The fourth crew member is Rabea Rogge, a robotics researcher from Berlin, currently working on her PhD in Norway.

Fram2 will launch from Florida and enter a unique 90° circular orbit, making it the first human spaceflight to travel over Earth’s polar regions from low-Earth orbit. Until now, the highest orbit angle achieved by a human mission was 65°, during the Soviet Vostok 6 flight. The crew will fly in a SpaceX Dragon capsule equipped with a viewing window (called a cupola) and will orbit between 425 and 450 kilometers above Earth.

During the 3- to 5-day mission, the team will study a light phenomenon similar to STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), seen as green and purple lights in the upper atmosphere, around 400 to 500 km above Earth. They’ll also work with SpaceX to perform several experiments to better understand how space affects the human body. This includes taking the first-ever x-rays of humans in space, testing new in-space training tools, and researching how space travel impacts mental health. These efforts will help prepare people for future long-term missions in space.