Just days after successfully bringing back astronauts Sunita Williams and Crew-9 from the International Space Station, SpaceX is preparing for a groundbreaking mission. 

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The Fram2 mission, set to launch on March 31, 2025, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, will be the first human spaceflight to travel over Earth’s polar regions.

A Falcon 9 rocket will carry the Crew Dragon capsule, which will host four international astronauts on an unprecedented journey.

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Global crew takes the lead

The mission’s crew is made up of first-time space travellers, led by:
Chun Wang (Malta) – Mission Commander
Jannicke Mikkelsen (Norway) – Vehicle Commander
Rabea Rogge (Germany) – Mission Pilot
Eric Philips (Australia) – Mission Medical Officer

Inspired by the Norwegian exploration vessel Fram, which ventured into the Arctic and Antarctic in the 19th century, the team aims to push new frontiers in human spaceflight.

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Scientific exploration beyond traditional orbits

Fram2 will break from conventional flight paths by entering a 90-degree orbit, steeper than the 51.6-degree orbits of past crewed missions. Over a three-to-five-day journey, the astronauts will conduct 22 cutting-edge experiments on spaceflight and human biology.
Among the key objectives:

-First-ever X-ray imaging of humans in space.

-Growing mushrooms in microgravity for potential Mars missions.Studying Strong.

-Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancements (STEVE), a mysterious polar light phenomenon.

-The mission will also feature the Fram2Ham competition, allowing amateur radio operators worldwide to decode images sent from space.

SpaceX’s growing role in private spaceflight

Fram2 joins a series of private space missions led by SpaceX. Previous missions include:
Ax-1, Ax-2, and Ax-3 – Organised by Axiom Space, these missions carried private astronauts to the International Space Station.
Inspiration 1 and 2 – These free-flying missions saw private astronauts perform assisted spacewalks in Earth’s orbit.
With Fram2, SpaceX continues to expand the possibilities of commercial human spaceflight, pushing beyond traditional mission profiles.