Introduction to the Mission

A Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched on Monday night, embarking on an unprecedented journey around Earth’s poles with four amateur astronauts on board. This historic mission is the first of its kind to travel to the planet’s polar regions, and SpaceX has released the initial views of these icy areas from above.

First Views of Earth’s Polar Regions

SpaceX has shared a short video taken from the Dragon crew vehicle, showcasing the breathtaking view from the freshly launched Fram2 mission. The company tweeted, "First views of Earth’s polar regions from Dragon," along with the post. The four-person crew of Fram2 is currently traveling in a polar orbit around the planet and is set to spend three to five days conducting research from their unique vantage point.

First views of Earth’s polar regions from Dragon pic.twitter.com/3taP34zCeN
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 1, 2025

The Fram2 Mission

Fram2, named after the original ship that reached both Earth’s Arctic and Antarctic regions, lifted off on March 31 at 9:46 p.m. ET from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The private mission launched a crew of first-timers aboard the Dragon Resilience, the same spacecraft used by the Polaris Dawn crew for the first commercial spacewalk in history. The crew consists of Chun Wang, a crypto billionaire who founded the Bitcoin mining companies f2pool and stakefish, Jannicke Mikkelsen, a Norwegian cinematographer, Eric Philips, an Australian polar adventurer, and Rabea Rogge, a German robotics researcher.

Mission Details

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. This marks the first time a group of humans has ventured into polar orbit, which was previously unexplored due to higher-than-usual radiation levels and the significant amount of energy required to reach this orbit.

Research Studies

The astronauts will conduct 22 research studies to improve our understanding of human health in space and prepare for long-duration missions. The crew will attempt to take the first X-ray in space, perform exercise studies to maintain muscle and skeletal mass, and grow mushrooms in microgravity. Upon returning to Earth, the crew will exit the Dragon spacecraft without additional medical and operational assistance, helping researchers characterize the ability of astronauts to perform unassisted functional tasks after short and long durations in space, according to SpaceX.

Observing the Aurora-Like Phenomenon

From their unique vantage point, the private crew will also be able to observe the aurora-like phenomenon called STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), known for its hazy purple and green streaks across the sky. So far, Fram2 has delivered breathtaking views of Earth’s poles, and there’s plenty more to come from SpaceX’s latest private mission.