SpaceX is preparing to send the Fram2 mission, which will carry a four-astronaut crew into a polar orbit, a new benchmark in space travel. The mission is to leave Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 31 within a 4.5-hour launch window at 9:46 p.m. ET.
Crew Members and Roles
- Chun Wang (Mission Commander): An investor based in Malta with a cryptocurrency mining and blockchain technology background. He is sponsoring the mission.
- Jannicke Mikkelsen (Vehicle Commander): A Norwegian documentarian with expertise in high-altitude filmmaking and record-breaking polar flights.
- Eric Philips (Vehicle Pilot): An Australian polar explorer and guide with years of experience in Arctic and Antarctic missions.
- Rabea Rogge (Mission Specialist): A German robotics scientist performing innovative research on technologies appropriate for extreme environments.
Mission Objectives and Research Aims
Fram2 is intended to investigate Earth’s polar regions at an altitude of around 425–450 kilometers. The crew will record atmospheric activity like auroras and the STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) effect, adding useful scientific information.
The mission will perform human spaceflight research, such as taking X-ray images of astronauts in space and evaluating behavioral health disorders in microgravity. The information gathered will inform future space missions and long-term human presence in space.
Orbit and Mission Duration
Unlike traditional spaceflights that travel along an equatorial orbit, Fram2 will have a 90-degree circular orbit, directly flying over the North and South Poles. The unusual flight path will allow for direct observations of polar ice caps and atmospheric phenomena.
The mission will be from three to five days long, ending in a controlled splashdown off the California coast.
This mission marks a new era in private space travel, the integration of scientific discovery with state-of-the-art orbital flight. The knowledge derived will further inform the understanding of polar regions and be used for future space research development.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/