SpaceX makes history with 1st crewed polar orbit mission

SpaceX has made history with the first crewed mission to orbit Earth's poles aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

The Fram2 mission's unique trajectory when it launched Monday at 9.46 p.m. ET (0146GMT) takes it directly above the North and South poles, a feat never before attempted in human spaceflight.

Leading the private mission is Chun Wang, a Malta-based cryptocurrency billionaire and co-founder of F2Pool, one of the largest Bitcoin mining networks. Joining him are Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge and Australian polar explorer Eric Philips.

All four crew members are first-time space travelers and share a passion for extreme environments.

"We have an untraditional mission," Mikkelsen said Friday. "We're not your typical NASA astronauts... We've gone from nothing to being certified astronauts to fly."

- 'Incredibly harsh environment'

Unlike conventional launches, Fram2's rare southward trajectory required significant power.

Christopher Combs of the University of Texas San Antonio explained that such a flight path demands extra energy due to the lack of a natural boost from Earth's rotation. "It's a notch above gimmick, but not exactly a groundbreaking milestone," Combs noted, according to CNN.

After launch, the Falcon 9's first-stage booster successfully landed on a drone ship in the Atlantic, while the upper stage propelled Crew Dragon to an orbital speed exceeding 17,500 miles per hour (28,000 kilometers per hour).

The mission is expected to last three to five days before reentry.

The Fram2 crew trained extensively, including exercises in harsh environments in the US state of Alaska and technical training at SpaceX's headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Philips, who has completed over 30 polar expeditions, compared the experience to extreme Arctic conditions.

"We've got four people locked inside ... an incredibly harsh environment," he said Friday.

The crew will conduct 22 science experiments, primarily focused on human health and adaptation to space. Wang, typically private about his ventures, described the moment before launch as one of calm anticipation.

"Now, everything that needs to be done has been done. From here on, it's just following the procedures," he posted on X.