E-Paper
SpaceX Fram2 mission, led by crypto investor, lifts off for uncharted orbit. Watch
The Fram2 mission, led by a crypto investor, launched on a Falcon 9 rocket, using SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule Resilience to carry four astronauts.
Billionaire Elon Musk-led SpaceX hit a historic milestone for commercial spaceflight with the launch of a unique mission on Monday, dubbed ‘Fram2’, to orbit Earth from pole to pole, sending four private astronauts where no one has gone before.
The Fram2 mission, led by a crypto entrepreneur, launched on a Falcon 9 rocket and use SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule Resilience to carry the four astronauts into a polar orbit for the first time.
SpaceX Fram2 mission launch time
Fram2, which was initially planned for late last year, launched at 9:48 pm ET on Monday (7:18 am IST on April 1) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission, dubbed Fram2, is led by Chun Wang, a Maltese investor and Bitcoin mining company founder, marking the first time humans will travel along this unexplored trajectory.
The crew of Fram2 mission travelled from the launchpad in a caravan of Teslas, a nod to Elon Musk's other tech company, with a police escort leading the way. Along the route, they witnessed an unrelated Falcon 9 rocket launching a Starlink mission, which Wang captured on video and shared on social media.
Watch Fram2 mission launch live: The Fram2 mission launch is being livestreamed by SpaceX and can be seen here
Norwegian film director part of crew
Chun Wang and his team will embark on a three-to-five-day mission that includes 22 scientific experiments. These experiments focus on studying the effects of spaceflight and microgravity on the human body, further advancing our understanding of space's impact on human health.
Chun Wang, who also serves as the commander of the mission and is the first Maltese citizen to go to space, has dubbed the flight "Fram2," referencing the famous Norwegian Fram ship, which made groundbreaking voyages to the Arctic in the early 20th century, a Reuters report said.
Joining Wang on the historic space journey are Norwegian film director Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher and polar scientist Rabea Rogge, and Australian adventurer Eric Philips.
"This is a rocket launch... while we're on our way to a rocket launch," Wang said in a post on X, adding a playful glimpse of the crew's excitement ahead of their own monumental flight.
SpaceX's Fram2 mission represents the company's latest leap in private space exploration, continuing its dominance in the global human spaceflight industry. It also highlights SpaceX's big role in shaping the future of space travel for non-government astronauts, expanding beyond the initial niche market of wealthy tourists to include more specialised missions.
With this flight, SpaceX's Crew Dragon craft will complete its 16th crewed mission.
The cost of space travel aboard Dragon remains substantial-approximately $55 million per seat, according to a Reuters report, which added that despite this demand is steadily increasing as governments, scientific bodies, and private entities look to harness the unique opportunities space offers.
