Fram2
First crewed polar research spaceflight
 Artist's rendering of Crew Dragon Endurance during Fram2 | |
| Mission type | Private spaceflight |
|---|---|
| Operator | SpaceX |
| Website | f2 |
| Mission duration | 3–5 days (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Crew Dragon Endurance |
| Spacecraft type | Crew Dragon |
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 4 |
| Members |
|
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | Q4 2024 |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 |
| Launch site | Kennedy, LC‑39A or Cape Canaveral, SLC‑40 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Polar orbit |
| Altitude | 425–450 km (264–280 mi) |
| Inclination | 90° |
| Period | 93.4 minutes |
 Mission insignia ← SpaceX Crew-9 SpaceX Crew-10 → | |
Fram2 is a planned private human spaceflight mission, operated by SpaceX on behalf of entrepreneur Chun Wang. During the mission, the 16th crewed orbital flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, Wang and his all-civilian crew — Jannicke Mikkelsen, Eric Philips and Rabea Rogge — will be propelled into a polar orbit, a first for a human spaceflight mission. During the three to five day mission, the crew says they will conduct scientific research.[1][2]
Crew
The crew of Fram2 was announced in August 2024.[3][4]
| Position | Crew | |
|---|---|---|
| Mission commander |  Chun WangFirst spaceflight | |
| Vehicle commander |  Jannicke MikkelsenFirst spaceflight | |
| Vehicle pilot |  Eric PhilipsFirst spaceflight | |
| Mission specialist |  Rabea RoggeFirst spaceflight | |
Mission
Named Fram2 in reference and succession to the polar exploration ship Fram, the mission is intended to study the Earth's poles and their space environment. It will be a free-flight mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, without docking to a space station. The selected spacecraft is Endurance, sharing a name with Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic exploration vessel. It will be equipped with the panoramic cupola from Inspiration4. The mission is scheduled for late 2024, around the December solstice, to allow optimal observation of Antarctica. It will launch from Florida, either from the LC-39A launch pad at Kennedy Space Center or the LC-40 pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The mission will enter a low Earth orbit (between 425 and 450 km (264 and 280 mi)) with a polar inclination (90°), allowing it to fly over both of Earth's poles. It will aim to observe and study aurora-like phenomenon such as STEVE and green fragments and conduct experiments on the human body, including the first X-ray of a human in space.[2]
References
- ^ Grønning, Trygve (13 August 2024). "Norske Jannicke Mikkelsen skal til verdensrommet". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ a b Wall, Mike (12 August 2024). "SpaceX to launch 4 people on historic Fram2 mission over Earth's poles in late 2024". Space.com. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
- ^ Berger, Eric (13 August 2024). "SpaceX announces first human mission to ever fly over the planet's poles". Ars Technica.
- ^ Harwood, William (12 August 2024). "SpaceX to launch privately-financed international crew of four around Earth's poles". spaceflightnow.com.
External links
- Official website
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|---|---|
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- Ongoing spaceflights in underline
- Italics indicates future missions
- Symbol † indicates failed missions
