First Views Of Earth's Polar Regions from SpaceX's Dragon Capsule As Fram2 Mission Underway

Seventeen days after Elon Musk's SpaceX successfully rescued two stranded astronauts from the International Space Station, the rocket company that dominates the space race launched a crew of four private astronauts—led by a crypto entrepreneur—on the first-ever human spaceflight to orbit Earth over its poles.

SpaceX's sixth private astronaut flight (called "Fram2") blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida late Monday night, sending the Crew Dragon capsule Resilience into a polar orbit.

Fram2 is commanded by Chinese-born bitcoin investor Chun Wang and joined by vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen from Norway, pilot Rabea Rogge of Germany, and Australian medical officer and mission specialist Eric Phillips.

SpaceX's website outlined more specifics of the polar-orbiting mission:

During their multi-day mission, Dragon and the crew will explore Earth from a polar orbit and fly over Earth's polar regions for the first time. They will also conduct 22 research designed to help advance humanity's capabilities for long-duration space exploration and understanding of human health in space. Throughout Fram2's time on-orbit, the crew are planning to take the first x-ray in space, perform exercise studies to maintain muscle and skeletal mass, and grow mushrooms in microgravity. Additionally, after safely returning to Earth, the crew plans to exit from 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.

The Fram2 private mission is entirely independent of government support, a testament to how the private space industry continues progressing, proving it can do space better, faster, and leaner than bloated and wasteful government programs.