CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A group of four space tourists concluded a groundbreaking journey on Friday, descending into the Pacific Ocean after completing a unique orbit around the globe that included both polar regions. The privately funded expedition marked a significant milestone as it became the first human spaceflight to cross over the planet’s poles, concluding with the first crewed splashdown in the Pacific in half a century.
This groundbreaking voyage was spearheaded by Chun Wang, a Bitcoin investor, who financed the mission aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule. The specially-equipped spacecraft featured a domed window providing expansive, unobstructed views of Earth’s polar caps. While Wang chose not to disclose the trip’s financial specifics, the adventure spanned three and a half days.
Launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the team touched down off Southern California’s coast. The crew comprised Wang, a Maltese citizen originally from China, Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar guide Eric Philips—all of whom relished the breathtaking vistas from space.
“It is so epic because it is another kind of desert, so it just goes on and on and on all the way,” remarked Rogge while observing Earth’s landscape from their orbital perch. Meanwhile, Mikkelsen dedicated much of the journey to capturing these moments through her camera lens.
Initially, the crew battled space motion sickness, but by the second day, they adjusted, allowing them to uncover their unique view above the South Pole. In addition to observing Earth’s poles from 270 miles (430 kilometers) above, the team performed pioneering medical X-rays in space and executed around twenty-four scientific experiments. The mission, named Fram2, paid homage to a historic Norwegian ship that facilitated polar exploration over a century ago, even bringing a piece of the original vessel aboard.
After splashdown, all team members successfully exited the capsule, energized and in good spirits, allowing for further medical tests to assess their post-space adaptation. They showed great enthusiasm, celebrating their triumph.
SpaceX announced their rationale for opting for Pacific splashdowns from now on involves safety considerations. This approach ensures any remnants of the spacecraft’s trunk, discarded near the mission’s conclusion, will land in the ocean, minimizing risk.
The last similar Pacific re-entry was executed during NASA’s 1975 Apollo-Soyuz mission, which saw its crew return to Earth in similar fashion.