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SpaceX Crew Dragon Returns to Earth After Historic Polar Orbit Mission
An affluent bitcoin entrepreneur and three civilian crewmates successfully descended to Earth on Friday aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, concluding the pioneering, privately-funded space tourism venture that circumnavigated Earth’s poles. The Crew Dragon “Resilience” splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the southern California coastline, marking the end of the first-ever crewed polar orbit flight.
Re-entry and Splashdown
Following a launch from the Kennedy Space Center three and a half days prior, and after completing 55 orbits encompassing the North and South Poles, the Crew Dragon “Resilience” initiated its return sequence at 11:26 a.m. EDT. The spacecraft fired its braking rockets and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere approximately 25 minutes later.
Withstanding temperatures reaching 3,500 degrees Fahrenheit during atmospheric re-entry, the capsule decelerated rapidly. It then deployed its distinct red and white parachutes, achieving a precise splashdown in the Pacific at 12:19 p.m., impacting the water at a velocity of 16 mph.
Recovery Operations
SpaceX recovery teams, positioned nearby, swiftly moved to the gently floating capsule. They secured it for lifting onto the company’s recovery vessel, Shannon.
Unassisted Crew Egress
In a landmark demonstration, the crew independently exited the spacecraft, proving their capability to disembark from a Crew Dragon without external assistance.
In contrast to astronauts returning from extended stays on the International Space Station, who typically require assistance upon capsule egress, mission commander Chun Wang and his three colleagues were able to remove emergency equipment from the hatch and exit the capsule unaided.
While exhibiting slight unsteadiness after several days in a weightless environment, Chun, Norwegian cinematographer Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics expert Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar guide Eric Philips appeared cheerful as they greeted support personnel. They were then accompanied onto the recovery ship for initial health evaluations.
Mission Objectives and Crew Background
Chun, a Malta citizen originally from China and residing in northern Norway, particularly Svalbard, an Arctic archipelago, connected with his crewmates through their shared passion for polar expeditions.
“We all met on Svalbard, and we love the ice,” Chun shared on social media during the flight. “The mission was conceived when I lived there, and our polar trajectory allows us to view our home region. From this perspective, the mission has fully met its objective.”
Prior to launch, Chun mentioned his intention to observe Antarctic research stations. However, Mikkelsen noted during the flight that, “Contrary to expectations, at an altitude of 460 km, the landscape appears uniformly white, with no discernible human activity.”
Pioneering Civilian Spaceflight
Notably, none of the crew members possessed pilot licenses. While Blue Origin, owned by Jeff Bezos, has launched non-pilots to sub-orbital space on New Shepard flights, this SpaceX mission marks the first orbital flight without a crew member with professional aviation or astronautical experience.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft features advanced automation and ground control capabilities. SpaceX regards the Fram2 mission as a crucial advancement toward expanding access to orbital spaceflight for non-professional astronauts and private space tourism.
Chun, an enthusiastic global traveler and polar region enthusiast, privately chartered the Resilience from SpaceX for an undisclosed sum, marking SpaceX’s third privately funded civilian space tourism flight to orbit.
Fram2 Mission Name and Legacy
The mission’s name, Fram2, pays tribute to the 19th-century Norwegian sailing vessel Fram, meaning “forward,” renowned for its polar explorations. A fragment of the original ship’s teak decking accompanied the crew into space aboard the Crew Dragon.
“My personal journey is driven by enduring curiosity and a fascination with pushing boundaries,” Chun stated before the mission. “As a child, I was captivated by the blank white space at the bottom of world maps, wondering what lay beyond.”
“This curiosity led me across continents and to both the southernmost and northernmost points of Earth. Fram2 extends beyond simply reaching space; it embodies pushing limits, sharing knowledge, and inspiring future generations to pursue similar endeavors.”
Scientific Experiments and Orbital Views
The crew’s itinerary included conducting 22 experiments, spanning from capturing auroral displays from orbit to evaluating compact exercise equipment for smaller spacecraft, cultivating oyster mushrooms in microgravity, and performing the first X-rays in space.
Equipped with high-definition professional cameras, laptops, tablets, a ham radio, and an X-ray generator, Chun highlighted, “We’ll use the X-ray generator to capture the first-ever X-ray image of the human body in space – a critical step for future long-duration missions to Mars and beyond.”
Throughout their space journey, the crew shared captivating videos, including a timelapse of Earth as the Crew Dragon traversed from Antarctica to the North Pole, completing a pole-to-pole transit every 46 minutes.
Mikkelsen shared online, “Proud to bring state-of-the-art cameras and lenses to space, capturing the inaugural human-shot images of the Arctic and Antarctic from space. These high-resolution videos will be shared post-splashdown.”
Another shared video showcased the entirety of Florida and the southeastern United States. Zooming in on the Kennedy Space Center, Chun exclaimed with amazement, “There’s our launch pad!”