August 12, 2024First Human Spaceflight to Fly Over Earth’s Polar RegionsIn the past four years, SpaceX has launched thirteen human spaceflight missions, safely flying 50 crewmembers to and from Earth’s orbit and creating new opportunities for humanity to live, work, and explore what is possible in space. Dragon’s 46 missions overall to orbit have delivered critical supplies, scientific research, and astronauts to the International Space Station, while also opening the door for commercial astronauts to explore Earth’s orbit.As early as this year, Falcon 9 will launch Dragon’s sixth commercial astronaut mission, Fram2, which will be the first human spaceflight mission to explore Earth from a polar orbit and fly over the Earth’s polar regions for the first time. Named in honor of the ship that helped explorers first reach Earth’s Arctic and Antarctic regions, Fram2 will be commanded by Chun Wang, an entrepreneur and adventurer from Malta. Wang aims to use the mission to highlight the crew’s explorational spirit, bring a sense of wonder and curiosity to the larger public, and highlight how technology can help push the boundaries of exploration of Earth and through the mission’s research.Joining Wang on the mission is a crew of international adventurers: Norway’s Jannicke Mikkelsen, vehicle commander; Australia’s Eric Philips, vehicle pilot; and Germany’s Rabea Rogge, mission specialist. This will be the first spaceflight for each of the crewmembers.Throughout the 3-to-5-day mission, the crew plans to observe Earth’s polar regions through Dragon’s cupola at an altitude of 425 – 450 km, leveraging insight from space physicists and citizen scientists to study unusual light emissions resembling auroras. The crew will study green fragments and mauve ribbons of continuous emissions comparable to the phenomenon known as STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), which has been measured at an altitude of approximately 400 - 500 km above Earth’s atmosphere. The crew will also work with SpaceX to conduct a variety of research to better understand the effects of spaceflight on the human body, which includes capturing the first human x-ray images in space, Just-in-Time training tools, and studying the effects of spaceflight on behavioral health, all of which will help in the development of tools needed to prepare humanity for future long-duration spaceflight.Falcon 9 will launch Fram2 to a polar orbit from Florida no earlier than late 2024.
Endurance is coming back to Earth. This spaceship was named in part in honor of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition from 1914 to 1917. It was destined for the poles. Should we also install a cupola on top of it?
Looks like C210 "Endurance" will be used:
This looks like a cool & well thought out mission. I wish the @framonauts the best on this epic exploration adventure! Polaris Program, Inspiration4, Axiom, & now Fram2 showcase what commercial missions can achieve thanks to @SpaceX's reusability and NASA's vision with the commercial crew program. All just small steps towards unlocking the last great frontier.
This is cool
I had the pleasure of briefly speaking with the crew of FRAM2 - @framonauts, Chun Wang - @satofishi, Jannicke Mikkelsen - @astro_jannicke, Eric Philips - @Icetrek, and Rabea Rogge, who will be the first crew to fly over the north and south poles! Here's a few fun notes:They will be flying from Florida, not sure yet whether it's LC-39A or SCL-40. The profile is quite unique to be able to accommodate crew on a southern trajectory, but we didn't have time to get further into it.The mission WILL feature the cupola that we first saw fly with @inspiration4x, which is VERY exciting considering they'll be flying over both the fully illuminated south pole as well as the northern lights on each pass!I asked them about safety considerations of flying over the poles and they said it's not considered to be much. more dangerous than standard LEO missions in regards to radiationThe crew found out in December, 2023 when Chun individually asked them to take part in this mission with him. They have all worked together and befriended each other previously on a North Pole mission.The idea for the polar mission is entirely Chun's idea, he brought the idea to SpaceX and purchased the ride after considering other mission options, but wasn't interested in just purchasing one seat.They get to pre-plan orientation of the spacecraft for the best views and filming opportunities for each pass, which is awesome.
I am incredibly honored to have been selected mission specialist for the first human space flight into polar orbit, Fram2! Super excited to be the research responsible and get some cool projects going - stay tuned for updates on the journey and how to get involved soon @framonauts @satofishi @astro_jannicke @Icetrek
The mission site: https://f2.com/
Here's some more information on the polar mission SpaceX announced Monday, and its Chinese-born backer.
This will be interesting! Does using the I4 cupola imply using the same Dragon capsule, or can any of the Crew Dragons take the cupola?
