Falcon 9 launch of the Fram2 mission successfully lifted off from Florida

Falcon 9 launch referring to the Fram2 mission successfully lifted off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on March 31, 2025, at 9:46 p.m. EDT (0146 UTC on April 1).

This mission, conducted by SpaceX, sent a crew of four private astronauts, known as the @framonauts on X, into a polar orbit aboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft “Resilience.” It was the first human spaceflight to pass over Earth’s polar regions, reaching a 90-degree inclination orbit, perpendicular to the equator.

The crew included mission commander Chun Wang (a Malta-based cryptocurrency entrepreneur who funded the mission), vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen (a Norwegian cinematographer), pilot Rabea Rogge (a German robotics researcher), and mission specialist Eric Philips (an Australian polar guide).

None had prior spaceflight experience. The mission lasted approximately three to five days, with the spacecraft orbiting at an altitude of about 425–450 kilometers (264–280 miles), passing over the North and South Poles roughly 55 times before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California on April 4, 2025.

The Fram2 mission, named after the Norwegian polar exploration ship Fram, aimed to study Earth’s polar regions from space and conduct 22 scientific experiments.

These included growing mushrooms in microgravity (a first for spaceflight), taking the first X-ray images of a human in orbit, studying space adaptation syndrome (motion sickness in microgravity), and observing atmospheric phenomena like STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement). The crew also captured extensive photography and videography of the poles through a cupola window on the Crew Dragon.

The Falcon 9 rocket used for this launch featured the first-stage booster B1085, on its sixth flight, which had previously supported missions like Crew-9 and Starlink launches.

After stage separation, B1085 landed successfully on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. This was the first crewed mission to launch on a booster with five prior flights, showcasing SpaceX’s reusable rocket technology.

Historically, polar orbits have been used for satellites but not for crewed missions from Florida due to safety concerns over populated areas.

SpaceX mitigated this by flying a due-south trajectory over Florida, Cuba, and Panama, using advanced flight software to ensure safety. Before Fram2, the closest humans came to a polar orbit was during Soviet Vostok missions in the 1960s, which reached a 65-degree inclination.

This launch was SpaceX’s 37th orbital mission of 2025 and its sixth private human spaceflight, following missions like Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn. It highlighted the growing role of commercial spaceflight in pushing exploration boundaries, with the @framonauts celebrated for their pioneering journey over Earth’s poles.