Chun Wang, co-founder of one of the earliest Bitcoin mining pools, is funding this mission.
Similar to Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn, both funded by Jared Isaacman — the incoming NASA administrator — Fram2 will utilize the SpaceX Dragon 2 capsule for a free-flying mission in polar orbit. The mission is expected to last between 3 and 5 days, with Inspiration4 having a duration of nearly 3 days and Polaris Dawn lasting almost 5 days.
The mission is named after the Norwegian polar expedition ship Fram, which operated from 1893 to 1912. This vessel was used by Fridtjof Nansen in his attempt to reach the North Pole.
A report from Ellie in Space, dated August 2024, provides additional context: SpaceX Will Send Humans To Polar Orbit!
Livestream
Mission Links
- Mission homepage: f2.com
- Mission X account: @framonauts
- Chun Wang’s X account: @satofishi
Chun's X-bio: "Documenting my travel to every country/territory in the world following ISO 3166: 54% (135 of 249) on 1 planet/moon(s) done and counting…"
Background information about previous SpaceX launches: Wikipedia
Useful links to stay up to date on launches:
Spaceflightnow.com: Launch Schedule
Everyday Astronaut: Prelaunch Previews
Data: flitghtclub.io
Space News:
NASA Spaceflight nasaspacefight.com
It's pretty amazing that no person has done a spaceflight over the poles before. A first, and it's from a private mission.
This reaffirms the importance of private companies in our expansion into space.