Fram2

Lighning in the distance as Fram2 rises. Photo: Richard P. Gallagher, Florida Media Now
Lighning in the distance as Fram2 rises. Photo: Richard P. Gallagher, Florida Media Now
Lightning in the distance as Fram2 rises.
Photo: Richard P. Gallagher, Florida Media Now

The Fram2 privately crewed mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center right on time at 9:46 PM ET yesterday. The launch came despite lightning threats in the Space Coast area, with visible strokes in storms south of the launch pad from a passing storm that dumped some much needed rain on the region.

The launch was successful and is SpaceX’s 37th mission out of year so far, out of 91 days since the calendars flipped into 2025. That’s a launch every 2.46 days, putting the company on a 147 launch pace for the year.

Liftoff of Fram2
Photo: SpaceX

Around 8.2 minutes after liftoff, Booster B1085 completed its sixth mission when it touched down on ASDS ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas’, which was stationed offshore in the Atlantic to await the booster.

Now in orbit, Fram2’s crew will begin their suite of experiments, observations and photo/filmmaking. Their return is anticipated to occur in three days.

Launch Replay

Next Launch

Saturday evening, SpaceX will return to launching Starlink satellites.

Upcoming SpaceX Starlink Mission
Organization SpaceX
Location Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Rocket Falcon 9
Pad Space Launch Complex 40
Status To Be Confirmed
Status Info Awaiting official confirmation – current date is known with some certainty.
Window Opens Saturday, 04/05/2025 10:40:00 PM
Window Closes Sunday, 04/06/2025 3:11:00 AM
Destination Low Earth Orbit
Mission Description A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation – SpaceX’s project for space-based Internet communication system.
Read more

Crew Dragon sitting on SpaceX’s launch pad at LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

SpaceX announced a new private crew mission aboard Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon that is slated to fly no earlier than late this year.

Called “Fram2”, the mission is named after the polar exploration ship Fram, a ship used in expeditions of the Arctic and Antarctic regions by the Norwegian explorers Fridtjof Nansen, Otto Sverdrup, Oscar Wisting, and Roald Amundsen between 1893 and 1912. Fram is now housed in a museum in Oslo, and is held in high regard by many polar exploration explorers.

The polar ship Fram, in a photograph from the Fram Museum in Oslo.

Fram2 will be going to space rather than onto the open ocean, of course, and during the upcoming mission, Mission Commander Chun Wang a Maltese citizen, will be joined by Norway’s Jannicke Mikkelsen acting as vehicle commander; Australia’s Eric Philips the vehicle pilot; and Germany’s Rabea Rogge, a mission specialist, will be aboard Falcon 9. None of the four have traveled to space to date.

The Fram2 crew: from left: Eric Philips, Jannicke Mikkelsen, Chun Yang, Rabea Rogge
Photo: SpaceX

Fram2’s Planned Mission

Their mission will be to examine “unusual light emissions resembling auroras. The crew will study green fragments and mauve ribbons of continuous emissions comparable to the phenomenon known as STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), which has been measured at an altitude of approximately 400 – 500 km above Earth’s atmosphere.”

The SpaceX release also says that crewmembers will “to better understand the effects of spaceflight on the human body, which includes capturing the first human x-ray images in space, Just-in-Time training tools, and studying the effects of spaceflight on behavioral health,” all to inform long-term spaceflight such as the company’s stated goal of sending humans to Mars.

The launch will take place in Florida no earlier than late this year.

The original SpaceX announcement is here.

Read more