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Fram2 is an upcoming crewed space mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft to low Earth orbit, operated by SpaceX on behalf of Maltese entrepeneur Chun Wang. It is set to be the first crewed mission to fly over the Earth's poles. Announced for 2024, the mission will send a scientific payload along with two women and two men into orbit for a stay of three to five days. The mission is completely financed and will be commanded by Wang, who also selected the crew.[1][2]
![]() Artist's rendering of the Crew Dragon for Fram2, with its nose cone open, revealing the cupola. | |
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 | 450 km (280 mi) |
Inclination | 90° |
Period | 93.4 minutes |
![]() Mission insignia ![]() From left: Rogge, Philips, Mikkelsen, and Wang |
The crew of Fram2 was announced in August 2024.[3][4]
Position | Crew | |
---|---|---|
Mission commander | ![]() First spaceflight | |
Vehicle commander | ![]() First spaceflight | |
Vehicle pilot | ![]() First spaceflight | |
Mission specialist | ![]() First spaceflight |
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]