Four space rookies are floating in a SpaceX Dragon vehicle, gazing down at Earth’s polar regions while collecting data from their unique vantage point. The Fram2 mission is off to an exciting start, pulling off some major firsts for human spaceflight.
SpaceX’s Fram2 mission launched on Monday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The commercial mission sent a crew of four private astronauts where no other humans have flown before, orbiting Earth from above the planet’s polar regions on an unprecedented journey. The Fram2 crew already got to work on some exciting research studies in the unique environment, sending a flurry of updates from space.
Hello, Antarctica.
Unlike previously anticipated, from 460 km above, it is only pure white, no human activity is visible. pic.twitter.com/i7JawFYzW2
— Chun (@satofishi) April 2, 2025
The crew of astronauts includes Chun Wang, a crypto billionaire who founded the Bitcoin mining companies f2pool and stakefish, as mission commander; Jannicke Mikkelsen, a Norwegian cinematographer; Eric Philips, an Australian polar adventurer; and Rabea Rogge, a German robotics researcher. All four had never been to space prior to this mission, which is reportedly being funded by Wang.
“The ride to orbit was much smoother than I had anticipated,” Wang wrote on X. “I had imagined it would feel like being in an elevator that suddenly drops, but that sensation never came. If I hadn’t set free Tyler, the polar bear zero-gravity indicator, I might not have realized we were already weightless.”
The ride to orbit was much smoother than I had anticipated. Apart from the final minute before SECO, I barely felt any G-forces—it honestly felt like just another flight.
I had imagined it would feel like being in an elevator that suddenly drops, but that sensation never came.… pic.twitter.com/h7YMyPY9ld
— Chun (@satofishi) April 2, 2025
Wang went on to describe the first few hours being in space, which apparently weren’t as smooth as the ride there. “Space motion sickness hit all of us—we felt nauseous and ended up vomiting a couple of times,” he wrote. “It felt different from motion sickness in a car or at sea. You could still read on your iPad without making it worse. But even a small sip of water could upset your stomach and trigger vomiting.”
The crew spent the first night watching their own launch on board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The second morning went more smoothly as Wang describes waking up “refreshed.” While on board the Dragon spacecraft, the astronauts enjoyed the breathtaking views as seen from the vehicle’s cupola window. Some of the images even show faint auroral activity over Earth’s poles. From this vantage point, the crew will attempt to observe the aurora-like phenomenon called STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), known for its hazy purple and green streaks across the sky.
During their first day on-orbit, the @framonauts got to work on their research activities, including a study on how human cognition adapts to the spaceflight environment within the first few hours of reaching space.
Amateur Ham radio enthusiasts in Berlin and across Europe… pic.twitter.com/F07b9IEGnN
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 1, 2025
The astronauts are carrying out 22 research studies in orbit to improve our understanding of human health in space and prepare for long duration missions. As part of the research, the crew took the first X-rays done in space. The astronauts also conducted orbital tests for SpaceX’s Starlink network while robotics researcher Rogge used an amateur radio on board, called Fram2Ham, to contact Berlin.
The Dragon spacecraft is flying over the planet’s polar regions at an altitude of around 265 to 280 miles (425 to 450 kilometers), and traveling in a polar orbit at an inclination of about 60 to 90 degrees to the equator. Earlier this week, SpaceX shared some stunning views of Earth’s polar regions from space.
The mission is designed to last three to five days in orbit, so stay tuned for more updates from space.
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