Islamabad, April 02: SpaceX shared the first glimpse of the Earth’s poles from space, to which Elon Musk’s reaction has also come to light.
SpaceX’s private space mission From 2 has shared amazing views as it passes over the Earth’s north and south poles for the first time.
The spacecraft was launched on March 31 and reached low Earth orbit in just 10 minutes.
A stunning video taken from space shows the views of the Earth’s north and south poles from the Dragon capsule rotating at a 90-degree tilt.
Amazing view of Earth from space
Elon Musk responded to the video, saying that this is the first time humans have been in orbit around the Earth’s poles.
The From 2 mission is led by entrepreneur and cryptocurrency expert Chen Wang, and the mission is named after the From ship, which was the first ship to reach the polar regions in the 1800s.
The crew aims to observe the landscapes of the North and South Poles and conduct more than 22 scientific experiments.
The total duration of the mission is 86 hours and the return is planned for April 4 with a water landing in the Pacific Ocean.
This is the first time a SpaceX mission has traveled to a polar orbit, and the data and images obtained during the mission will be invaluable to the scientific community.
First Human to Orbit
The first humans to orbit over both Earth’s north and south poles are sending back breathtaking images from their historic spaceflight.
Read More: SpaceX Awarded $843 Million Contract to Decommission Space Station by 2030
SpaceX launched the private Fram2 mission on Monday, March 31, marking a pioneering journey in human space exploration.
Aboard the Crew Dragon Resilience, the four-member crew is flying a never-before-attempted polar orbit, offering an unprecedented view of some of Earth’s most remote regions.
Historic Launch and Mission Details
The Fram2 mission lifted off at 9:46 p.m. EDT (0146 GMT on April 1) aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, reaching low-Earth orbit in just 10 minutes before separating to fly under its own power.
The crew consists of:
🚀 Chun Wang (Malta) – Mission Commander, primary mission funder
🚀 Jannicke Mikkelsen (Norway) – Vehicle Commander
🚀 Rabea Rogge (Germany) – Mission Pilot
🚀 Eric Phillips (Australia) – Mission Specialist & Medical Officer
“Today, we become the 681st humans to fly above the Kármán line and the 626th to orbit the Earth,” Wang posted on X (formerly Twitter) shortly after reaching orbit.
First Views of Earth’s Poles from Space
Early Tuesday morning, SpaceX released a stunning video from the open nosecone of Resilience, showcasing Earth’s snow-covered polar regions through the spacecraft’s domed cupola window.
🔭 “First views of Earth’s polar regions from Dragon,” SpaceX wrote in a post, sharing the remarkable footage.
The mission’s name, Fram2, is inspired by the early 20th-century Norwegian exploration ship “Fram”, renowned for its Arctic and Antarctic expeditions.
Scientific Breakthroughs in Space
The Fram2 crew has a packed agenda, conducting nearly two dozen scientific experiments while in orbit, including:
Growing mushrooms in space – A first in space-based biology research
🩻 First on-orbit X-ray scans of the human body
Microgravity studies on the human musculoskeletal system
Also Read: SpaceX Starship Successfully Returns to Earth, Achieves Demo Landing on Fourth Test
The crew will spend two to four days in orbit before Resilience performs a deorbit burn for a Pacific Ocean splashdown—a first for a SpaceX crewed mission.
SpaceX Shifts to Pacific Landings
This mission marks the beginning of SpaceX’s transition to Pacific splashdowns, moving away from Florida-based recoveries. This change aims to minimize space debris risks, ensuring safer reentry operations.
With its groundbreaking polar orbit, scientific experiments, and pioneering recovery strategy, Fram2 is setting new standards in private space exploration.
