SpaceX launched a historic mission to the Earth's polar orbit from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida earlier today. The Fram2 mission will fly four astronauts to the polar orbit, where they will spend as much as four days to conduct experiments and capture visuals. The mission is funded by cryptocurrency tycoon Chun Wang, who, along with his crew, is flying to space for the first time. Their flight is a key stepping stone in SpaceX's quest to make humanity a multi-planetary species and is named after the polar exploration ship Fram that first sailed in the late 19th century.
SpaceX's Fram2 Crew Builds On Historic 19th Century Journey To The Earth's Poles
The Fram2 mission lifted off from launch complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on a Falcon 9 booster at 9.46 p.m. The booster for the mission flew for the sixth time, while the Crew Dragon spacecraft marked its fourth mission. For this particular Dragon, most of its flights are for private missions. It was the first ship that flew SpaceX's operational missions to the International Space Station (ISS) via the Crew-1 mission in 2020.
The Fram2 crew - private astronauts Chun Wang, Jannicke Mikkelsen, Rabea Rogge and Eric Philips - are flying to space for the first time today. During their mission, they will conduct nearly two dozen experiments. These include the first x-ray in space, blood flow restriction to investigate whether astronauts will be able to preserve muscle mass during long-duration spaceflight, grow mushrooms in space, study space sleep and gain insight into the impact of spaceflight on the human body.
The mission's second goal will be to capture the polar regions from space. Since Fram2 is the first human spaceflight mission to the poles, it will also be the first time that humans capture polar visuals.
Fram2's vehicle commander, Jannicke Mikkelsen, will be responsible for the photography and other visuals captured during the voyage. She previously flew on the record-setting One More Orbit mission, which set a new record for the fastest aerial circumnavigation of the Earth's poles in 2019. During Fram2, Mikkelsen will become the first European to command a spaceship and the second Norwegian astronaut.
Fram2 will fly at an altitude of 430 kilometers and reach the polar orbit less than an hour after liftoff from Florida. Like most of SpaceX's previous private crewed spaceflight missions, the Dragon vehicle for Fram2 will also feature a cupola module at its top to allow astronauts 360-degree visuals of space. As for the speed, the mission will also break One More Orbit's record as astronauts race to the poles to conduct experiments and understand polar visual phenomena.
To accommodate Fram2's polar orbit, SpaceX had to ensure that high altitude wind speeds and adjust to rules to ensure that the Dragon landed in the water in case of an emergency abort. Additionally, since the Falcon 9 had to use more fuel due to its southward trajectory, SpaceX also conducted a partial boost backburn instead of a full burn due to lesser fuel on board.
