SpaceX's Fram2 mission will launch cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang into orbit with three crewmates on March 31 on a first-of-its-kind astronaut flight over Earth's poles. Liftoff is at 9:46 p.m. EDT (0146 am April 1 GMT).
The historic spaceflight will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The flight will include Wang as a mission commander, vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen of Norway, pilot Rabea Rogge of Germany, and Australian Eric Phillips, Fram2's medical officer and mission specialist. It should last three to five days.
Launch webcast | Meet the Crew | SpaceX | Falcon 9 | Dragon
SpaceX Fram2 crew ready to launch
It is launch day for SpaceX's next private space mission, the first-of-its-kind Fram2 flight, which will launch a crew of four astroanuts over the Earth's poles. It is the first human spaceflight over the poles.
The Fram2 crew, commanded by cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang (who financed the flight) will launch from NASA's Pad 39A of the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:46 p.m. EDT (0146 April 1 GMT) atop a Falcon 9 and a Crew Dragon capsule. You can watch the launch live on Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX.
Joining Wang on the flight will be vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen of Norway, pilot Rabea Rogge of Germany, and Australian Eric Phillips, Fram2's medical officer and mission specialist.
Mikkelsen is a filmmaker known for working in challenging environments like the Arctic and open sea. Rogge is a German engineer and scientist specializing in robotics and polar research. Phillips is an Australian polar explorer who has led expeditions to the North and South Poles.
The four astronaut will spend three to five days in orbit studying Earth's poles from space, performing 22 different science experiments and enjoying their time in space. They are expected to return to Earth with a splashdown at sea.
Over the weekend, SpaceX rolled the Falcon 9 rocket out to the launch pad and performed a launch dress rehearsal with the crew.
On Sunday, the company successfully performed a static test fire of the Falcon 9's first stae, setting the stage for today's launch.
Static fire test of Falcon 9 complete – targeting Monday, March 31 at 9:46 p.m. ET for launch of Fram2. Teams keeping an eye on weather conditions ahead of liftoff → https://t.co/vSt6tfeLZGMarch 30, 2025
The Fram2 @framonauts and SpaceX completed a full rehearsal of launch day activities ahead of liftoff on Monday pic.twitter.com/e1T9RI57FyMarch 30, 2025