SpaceX’s Fram2 mission has been making headlines as of April 4, 2025, with the framonauts, four astronauts completing approximately 55 orbits around Earth, passing over the poles every 46 minutes.
During their time in space, the @framonauts orbited the Earth ~55 times, passing over the poles about every 46 minutes pic.twitter.com/waBvmfd6xL
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 4, 2025
This is the first human-crewed mission to enter a 90-degree polar orbit, funded by Malta-based cryptocurrency entrepreneur Chun Wang and featuring Norway’s filmmaker Janicke Mikkelsen, Germany’s robotics researcher Rabia Roge, and Australia’s polar adventurer Eric Philips.
Launched on March 31, 2025, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida using a Falcon 9 rocket and the Crew Dragon “Resilience,” the mission lasted three to five days, during which the crew completed 55 orbits, passing over the poles with each 46-minute revolution.
During this time, the astronauts conducted 22 experiments, including the first X-ray image taken in space, mushroom cultivation in microgravity, and polar data collection for climate change studies, experiments that hold significant value for future Mars missions and long-duration space travel.
Flying in a polar orbit posed technical challenges, as it is affected by the Van Allen radiation belts and was launched southward instead of the usual eastward direction, forgoing the advantage of Earth’s rotational boost. Nevertheless, Fram2 provided a fresh perspective of Earth and added a new chapter to space exploration, inspiring future generations.