SpaceX capsules carrying Northern Poles and four private astronauts orbiting Antarctica landed in the Pacific Ocean on Friday, near Southern California’s coast.
SpaceX announced it marked the first human space mission to orbit Earth and the first splashdown in the Pacific with a space crew at the poles in 50 years.
The “FRAM2” mission, funded at an undisclosed amount by Bitcoin investor Chun Wang, launched on Monday night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center using SpaceX Dragon Capsules. The crew returned to Earth around 9 AM local time on Friday.
“All four @framonauts [Fram2 astronauts] SpaceX shared on X.
Crew of SpaceX FRAM2 after splashing down on Friday. (SpaceX via X)
The NASA astronaut was part of the mission assignment for the Boeing venture, which kept him in space for an extended duration
Their capsules featured dome-shaped windows that allowed for breathtaking 360-degree views of the poles from 270 miles in altitude.
“It’s incredibly epic. It’s a unique type of desert, seemingly everlasting,” stated the Lodge in a video shared on X, starting from the track.
The King was accompanied by Norwegian filmmakers, German robotics researchers, and Australia’s Polar Guide.
Through the mission’s duration, the dragons and crew carried out 22 research experiments aimed at enhancing humanity’s capacity for long-duration space exploration and understanding human health in space.
The dragon capsule, carrying four space tourists, approaches a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off California on Friday, April 4, 2025. (SpaceX via AP)
NASA ASTRONAUTS BUTCH WILMORE, SUNI WILLIAMS will participate in their first interview since returning to Earth exclusively for FOX News
The crew performed the first X-rays in space, completed motion studies to preserve muscle and skeletal strength, and cultivated mushrooms in microgravity, as reported by the company.
Once the crew exits the Dragon’s spacecraft, they receive no further medical or operational support to evaluate their ability to execute functional tasks unaided in space after both brief and extended durations. Per FRAM2, the astronauts spent over eight months training.
This was Wang’s inaugural human spaceflight, with vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, vehicle pilot Rabea Rogge, and mission specialist and medical officer Eric Philips.
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The mission was named FRAM2 after the Norwegian ship that transported explorers to the poles over a century ago. A fragment of the original ship’s wooden deck accompanied the crew on their journey to space.
The last individuals to return to the Pacific from space were three NASA astronauts associated with the 1975 Apollo Soyuz mission.
This image, provided by SpaceX, highlights the dome-shaped window of a dragon capsule overlooking Earth’s polar regions on April 1, 2025. (SpaceX via AP)
SpaceX, led by billionaire Elon Musk, stated that the choice to depart from California was influenced by safety and practical considerations.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
