CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A groundbreaking journey took off Monday night when a bitcoin investor, along with three polar explorers, embarked on the inaugural SpaceX mission to traverse both the North and South Poles. Chun Wang, an entrepreneur born in China, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard a Falcon rocket from SpaceX. This particular trajectory, never before attempted in human spaceflight’s 64-year history, saw the spacecraft veer south across the Atlantic.
Wang, who remains mum about the exact cost of this unique venture, has yet to disclose details of his financial arrangement with SpaceX. This polar experience will last 3 ½ days, during which the fully automated capsule circles Earth at an altitude of approximately 270 miles (440 kilometers). Remarkably, the first section of the journey — from Florida to the South Pole — took a mere 30 minutes. The space tourists are set to complete an entire orbit around the planet in about 1 ½ hours, taking 46 minutes to fly from one pole to the other.
“Enjoy the views of the poles. Send us some pictures,” came the message from SpaceX Launch Control as the capsule reached its designated orbit. Wang, now a Maltese citizen, accompanies his ambition of observing the polar regions from space with the aim of pushing boundaries and sharing knowledge. Joining him on this celestial expedition are Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar guide Eric Philips.
Pioneering this polar mission, Mikkelsen becomes the first Norwegian in space. Her previous flight over the poles was at a significantly lower altitude in 2019, when she participated in a record-setting mission celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing by circumnavigating the globe aboard a Gulfstream jet. During this orbital adventure, the crew intends to conduct around 24 experiments, including the first human X-rays in space. Their journey, dubbed Fram2, is documented with an abundance of cameras, a reference to a historic Norwegian polar research ship.
Until now, human explorers had not ventured beyond 65 degrees north and south latitude, a mark first set by Valentina Tereshkova, the Soviet Union’s pioneering female cosmonaut, in 1963. The first manned voyage to space by Yuri Gagarin and other landmark missions by NASA shuttle astronauts also approached but did not surpass these latitudes. Notably, polar orbits play a vital role for climate and Earth-mapping satellites due to their ability to observe the entire planet by passing over poles as Earth rotates beneath.
Geir Klover, who directs Oslo’s Fram Museum which houses the original polar vessel, hopes this mission will spotlight climate change and rising polar cap temperatures. In a symbolic gesture, the crew carries a fragment of the Fram’s wooden deck, which bears Oscar Wisting’s signature, honoring his and Roald Amundsen’s pioneering expeditions to both poles early in the 20th century.
Wang proposed this ambitious polar project to SpaceX in 2023, inspired two years post the ventures of U.S. tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who had previously booked two flights with the company and now aspires for a top NASA position. Kiko Dontchev from SpaceX remarked recently that they continuously refine training so individuals without aerospace backgrounds can confidently travel into space. Wang and his team approach this exploration akin to an adventurous camping experience amid daunting nature.
“Spaceflight is becoming increasingly routine and, honestly, I’m happy to see that,” Wang had expressed on social media last week. His passion for exploration has propelled him on various aircraft, from planes to helicopters to hot air balloons since 2002, as he attempts to visit all countries on Earth. This space journey, designated as his 1,000th flight, fits into his extensive ledger of global adventures.