FLORIDA SPACE COAST, FL – I was interviewed live by FOX 35’s Josh Frigerio on Florida Live on March 27, 2025 to breakdown the latest space news including, the resupply mission for the ISS now delayed until fall and the first astronauts to orbit the Earth’s poles are set to liftoff next week.
The unprecedented and History making Fram2 mission is the 1st human spaceflight over Earths north and south poles.
SpaceX is targeting liftoff of Fram2 mission into polar orbit with four commercial astronauts on March 31, 2025 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission duration is 3 to 5 days.
The Falcon 9 rocket will launch on a due south trajectory at 90 degrees inclination
They will conduct unique science including the 1st human x-ray in space and studying the auroras at the poles
The mission name is from the Norwegian ship of exploration ‘Fram’ used to explore the north and south poles a century ago
The crew of 4 rookies comprises Mission Commander Chun Wang (who financed the entire mission, Vehicle Commander Jannicke Mikkelsen of Norway, Vehicle Pilot Rabea Rogge of Germany, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Eric Philips of Australia.
The window opens at 9:46 PM ET March 31 and extends until 2:26 AM ET April 1
There are three additional launch opportunities within the approximate 4.5-hour window: 11:20 p.m. ET followed by 12:53 a.m. and 2:26 a.m. on Tuesday, April 1.
If needed, backup opportunities are available on Tuesday, April 1 starting at the same time.
Watch the complete live interview on Fox 35 Orlando here at these links:
Video: https://www.fox35orlando.com/video/1615445
Video: https://www.yahoo.com/news/first-astronauts-orbit-earths-poles-201515563.html
My self and Jean Wright met 3 members of the Fram 2 crew in January 2025 – namely Vehicle Commander Jannicke Mikkelsen of Norway, Vehicle Pilot Rabea Rogge of Germany, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Eric Philips of Australia.
The Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience supporting this mission previously flew Crew-1 to and from the International Space Station, Inspiration4, the first all-civilian mission to orbit, and Polaris Dawn, the first commercial mission to conduct an extravehicular activity from Dragon.
Dragon will be equipped with a Cupola – a domed see through glass window allowing an unimpeded 360 degree view of the polar regions below by the private astronauts
This will be the sixth flight for the first stage booster tail number B1085.6 supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-9, RRT-1, Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1, and two Starlink missions. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Falcon 9 first stage will not return to the Cape for a landing at LZ-1 – presumeably because of the extra propellent needed to achieve polar orbit.
MISSION OBJECTIVES:
During their multi-day mission, Dragon and the crew will explore Earth from a polar orbit and fly over Earth’s polar regions for the first time. They will also conduct 22 research studies designed to help advance humanity’s capabilities for long-duration space exploration and understanding of human health in space. Throughout Fram2’s time on-orbit, the crew are planning to take the first x-ray in space, perform exercise studies to maintain muscle and skeletal mass, and grow mushrooms in microgravity. Additionally, after safely returning to Earth, the crew plans to exit from the Dragon spacecraft without additional medical and operational assistance, helping researchers characterize the ability of astronauts to perform unassisted functional tasks after short and long durations in space.
Ken has also done Fram2 interviews on WFTV ABC 9 Orlando and WKMG CBS 6 News Orlando
x
x
