Fram2 Astronauts Splash Down After Historic Polar Spaceflight

International four-person crew returns after nearly four days flying a 90-degree polar orbit and observing Earth’s poles from orbit for the first time.

Jack Daleo

Friday, April 04, 2025 at 04:50 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

A SpaceX Dragon capsule carrying the international Fram2 crew deploys its parachutes for splashdown after a successful polar orbit mission. [Courtesy: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

The Fram2 mission successfully completed the first crewed flight directly over Earth's poles, achieving a record 90-degree polar orbit with four civilian astronauts.
The crew, led by mission commander Chun Wang, safely splashed down after nearly four days in orbit, having circumnavigated the Earth approximately 55 times.
Beyond its unique trajectory, Fram2 was primarily a research mission, conducting 22 experiments on human spaceflight effects, observing polar phenomena like STEVE, and testing Starlink communication.

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The first astronaut crew to fly directly over Earth’s poles splashed down safely on Friday after nearly four days on orbit.

Civilian astronauts Chun Wang, Jannicke Mikkelsen, Rabea Rogge, and Eric Phillips—the international crew of SpaceX’s private Fram2 mission—landed around 12:19 p.m. EDT and exited their SpaceX Dragon capsule without assistance, allowing researchers to study how the effects of spaceflight impact their ability to perform functional tasks. Wang, a crypto entrepreneur, purchased the intended three-to-five-day mission from SpaceX in August.