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Tonight, SpaceX is scheduled to launch a first-of-its-kind mission that will carry four private astronauts — or depending on how you see it, glorified space tourists — to fly above the Earth’s poles.
Named “Fram2” after the Norwegian ship that made expeditions to both the Earth’s poles over a century ago, the mission will use a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to carry a Crew Dragon capsule containing the crew to an altitude between 264 to 280 miles.
The mission commander is the same person who’s financing it: Malta-based crypto entrepreneur Chun Wang, who founded the Bitcoin mining pool F2Pool.
Wang is joined by three of his pals: Norwegian cinematographer Jannicke Mikkelsen, who will be the vehicle commander; German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, the mission’s pilot; and Australian polar explorer Eric Philips, the mission specialist and medical officer. None of them have ever flown into space before.
Inexperienced as they may be, the crew will be venturing to where no astronauts have ever gone before: directly above the Earth’s poles. During their three-to-five-day stay in space, the Crew Dragon spacecraft will attempt to fly at a 90 degree orbital inclination, putting its path perfectly perpendicular to the Earth’s equator.
Historically, there was little reason to fly at these steep inclinations, which burns more fuel and can put a spacecraft’s path, when launched from the US, over heavily populated areas. There’s also less protection from space radiation over the poles. Until now, the crewed mission that came closest to polar orbit was the Soviet Vostok 6 mission, which reached an inclination of about 65 degrees, according to CNN.
Besides its unique trajectory, Fram2 boasts a bevy of scientific objectives, with the crew expected to carry out 22 experiments. Some of the research includes monitoring how humans adapt to motion sickness in space, growing mushrooms in microgravity, and testing the use of blood flow restriction exercise. The mission is also collaborating with startups to explore whether space conditions can disrupt sleep patterns and women’s hormone levels (half of the crew members, Mikkelsen and Rogge, are women.)
Perhaps the most spectacular item on the bucket list is observing an atmospheric phenomenon known as the Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement, or STEVE, a streak of light in the night sky that often accompanies the northern lights, which has seldom been observed from space.
Some experts, however, are dubious about the actual scientific value of some aspects of Fram2.
“There’s nothing unique to a polar orbit, (and) the science advantages are kind of overblown,” John Prussing, professor emeritus of aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told CNN.
“This is a private mission. You need something to say that’s different and exciting about it,” echoed Christopher Combs, associate dean of research at the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design at the University of Texas at San Antonio. It’s “a notch above gimmick,” Combs told CNN, “but not exactly a groundbreaking milestone.”
Fram2 is slated to lift off from Florida as early as 9:46 PM EST tonight, but delays are common.
More on spaceflight: Fireballs Appear Around the World as Parts of SpaceX Crew Dragon Scream Back to Earth
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