SpaceX launches first private polar orbit mission with scientific aims
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from NASA's space centre in Florida on Monday, carrying private astronauts on the Fram-9 mission for the first orbit around Earth's poles.
The rocket launched on Monday from Kennedy Space Center on Cape Canaveral as planned, and after deploying the Dragon capsule with the astronauts into orbit, it landed on a ship platform.
The first commercial space flight around a polar orbit
An international team of four private astronauts will undertake an almost four-day mission for the first time in orbit over Earth's poles. This will be the third fully private space flight organised by SpaceX.
According to the company, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, during the mission the crew will also conduct 22 scientific studies aimed at "bringing back new data and knowledge to advance the long-term goals of space exploration."
This includes performing the first X-ray imaging in space, conducting exercises to maintain muscle and skeletal mass, and growing fungi in microgravity conditions.
The team consists of Chinese cryptocurrency investor with a Maltese passport Chun Wang, Norwegian film director Jannicke Mikkelsen, German researcher Rabea Rogge, and Australian adventurer Eric Philips.
