A private crew of astronauts that includes a cinematographer and an explorer, and commanded by a wealthy bitcoin entrepreneur, will be the first human spaceflight to go over Earth’s polar region.
SpaceX just announced its upcoming private mission, which will see a crewed Dragon spacecraft launch into a polar orbit.
The rest of the eclectic crew includes Jannicke Mikkelsen, a Norwegian cinematographer; Eric Philips, an Australian polar adventurer; and Rabea Rogge, a German robotics researcher.
This will be the first trip to space for all crew members involved in the mission.
The crew will launch on board a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; the mission is designed to last for three to five days, according to SpaceX.
Fram2 aims to explore Earth from a polar orbit, flying over the planet’s polar region at an altitude of around 265 to 280 miles (425 to 450 kilometers) above the ground.
No previous crew of astronauts has ever looked down upon Earth from a polar orbit, which has an inclination of about 60 to 90 degrees to the equator.
Flying through the polar region is generally avoided in spaceflight, with one reason being the higher-than-usual radiation exposure, including the risks associated with increased auroral activity, according to NASA.
The first human space flight to cross Earth’s polar region will be led by a wealthy bitcoin entrepreneur and comprise a private crew of astronauts that includes an explorer and a cinematographer.
A crewed Dragon spacecraft will be launched into a polar orbit as part of SpaceX’s next private mission, which was just revealed. Chun Wang of Malta, the creator of the bitcoin mining firms Stakefish and F2pool, will be in command of Fram2, which bears the name of the first ship to reach both the Arctic and Antarctic regions of Earth. The other members of the eclectic crew are the German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, the Australian polar adventurer Eric Philips, and the Norwegian cinematographer Jannicke Mikkelsen.
For every crew member taking part in the mission, this will be their first trip into space. According to SpaceX, Wang hopes to use the mission to showcase the crew’s spirit of exploration, inspire wonder and curiosity in the general public, and demonstrate how technology can help push the boundaries of Earth exploration through the mission’s research.
The mission, which SpaceX estimates will last three to five days, will see the crew launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a Falcon 9 rocket. With a target altitude of roughly 265 to 280 miles (425 to 450 kilometers) above Earth’s surface, Fram2 will fly over the planet’s polar region in an attempt to conduct an exploration mission.
In a polar orbit, which is inclined between sixty and ninety degrees toward the equator, no crew of astronauts has ever looked down upon Earth. Most satellites that observe the Earth and conduct reconnaissance use polar orbits. The International Space Station’s orbital path encompasses approximately 90% of the planet, barring latitudes falling within the northern hemisphere’s 51,6 degrees or the southern hemisphere’s 51,6 degrees. According to NASA, one reason spaceflight generally avoids flying through the polar region is the higher-than-usual radiation exposure, which includes the risks associated with increased auroral activity.
