SpaceX plans first manned space mission to fly over Earth's poles

A cryptocurrency entrepreneur has bought a private space mission from SpaceX, which is set to launch at the end of the year and be the first crewed flight over the Earth’s poles. The mission, which is expected to last between three and five days and carry four people, is part of the development of private space tourism, which has boomed in recent years in the United States. Its leader, Chun Wang, is the co-founder of Bitcoin mining companies F2pool and Stakefish. He is being introduced by SpaceX as “The Maltese Adventurer”But he recently obtained this nationality after being born and raised in China, according to the American specialized press.

“I have been eagerly awaiting this mission for two and a half years.”written on X Chun Wang. “A new chapter in space exploration is unfolding before our eyes.” Many satellites, whether spy or weather, operate in polar orbit, astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell told AFP. But getting there requires more power, and obviously more radiation, the expert said. So far, “The highest inclination achieved by a human space flight is that achieved by the Soviet Vostok 6 mission at 65 degrees.” Relative to the equator, depending on the mission location, the poles cannot be seen from the International Space Station (ISS).

13 missions over four years

The mission is named Fram2, after a ship used for polar exploration. It will use a SpaceX Dragon capsule equipped with an observation dome. The spacecraft will fly at an altitude of between 425 and 450 kilometers, according to billionaire Elon Musk’s company. The other three crew members will be Norwegian filmmaker Jannik Mikkelsen, Australian polar explorer Eric Phillips, and German robotics researcher Rabih Ruge. Scientific observations are planned, such as taking the first X-ray images in space and studying a light phenomenon similar to the aurora borealis, according to SpaceX.

The company has already flown 13 crewed missions over the past four years. It has flown NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, but it has also flown several space tourism missions, including the first in 2021, called Inspiration4, funded by American billionaire Jared Isaacman. “Until 2021, space missions were the domain of governments.”Chun Wang pointed out. “Then Inspiration4 came along and changed everything.” Another private mission, Polaris Dawn, is scheduled to launch on August 26 with four crew members, including Jared Isaacman. It should make possible the first private spacewalk.