The SpaceX Fram2 mission was a groundbreaking private astronaut mission that launched on March 31, 2025 . It was the first crewed spaceflight to orbit Earth over the planet’s poles .
Key Highlights of the Fram2 Mission:
- Crew: The mission was commanded and financed by cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang . The crew included vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen of Norway, pilot Rabea Rogge of Germany, and medical officer and mission specialist Eric Philips of Australia .
- Launch and Orbit: The mission launched from Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida using a Falcon 9 rocket and a Crew Dragon capsule named Resilience . The crew spent about four days in a polar orbit around Earth .
- Scientific Experiments: The crew conducted 22 scientific experiments, including growing mushrooms in space and performing the first human X-ray in space . They also took X-ray images of various body parts to explore the possibilities of this technology in space .
- First Human X-Ray in Space: The mission achieved a historic milestone by capturing the first X-ray image of a human in Earth orbit . The crew recreated the first X-ray image, which was of a hand with a ring, as a tribute to Wilhelm Röntgen’s discovery .
- Return to Earth: The Crew Dragon Resilience splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oceanside, California, on April 4, 2025 . This marked the first West Coast recovery for a SpaceX astronaut mission .
- Post-Flight Research: The astronauts were taken to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for post-flight studies, which included biometric tests and experiments to understand the effects of microgravity on the human body .
- Crew Dragon Resilience: The spacecraft, Resilience, had previously supported crews on SpaceX’s Crew-1, Inspiration4, and Polaris Dawn missions . The Fram2 mission marked its fourth splashdown .
- Mission Significance: The Fram2 mission helped pave the way for future human exploration, including missions to the Moon and Mars .
Main purpose of the FRAM2 mission :
The main purposes of the SpaceX Fram2 mission were to conduct scientific research in a unique polar orbit and demonstrate the capabilities of private spaceflight .
The mission’s key objectives:
- Scientific Research: The crew performed 22 experiments in diverse fields . These included the first human X-ray in space and growing mushrooms . The X-ray experiment aimed to explore the viability of this technology in space for medical purposes .
- Polar Orbit Exploration: As the first crewed mission to orbit Earth over the poles, Fram2 provided unique perspectives and data that are not obtainable from typical orbital paths . This polar orbit allowed for different types of observations and experiments .
- Advancing Space Technology: The mission pushed the boundaries of what is possible in private spaceflight . It used the Crew Dragon Resilience, which had previously flown on multiple missions, demonstrating the reusability and reliability of SpaceX’s spacecraft .
- Commercial Spaceflight: Fram2 served as a demonstration of commercial spaceflight and its potential for scientific research and technological advancement . The mission was privately funded, showing the growing role of private companies in space exploration .
- Medical Research in Space: A critical objective was to study the effects of space travel on the human body. Biometric tests and experiments were conducted to understand the impacts of microgravity, radiation exposure, and other factors related to spaceflight .
