That’s not the beginning of a bad joke, but rather a description of SpaceX’s newly announced human spaceflight mission, which as soon as this year will send four astronauts to the ends of the Earth for the first time in history.

The company on Monday unveiled Fram2—a mission to explore the planet’s polar regions, over which no spacecraft has ever flown directly. During the three-to-five-day mission, which will launch from Florida atop SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, the crew will enter a 90-degree polar orbit and observe the Arctic and Antarctic wilderness through a cupola fitted to the company’s Dragon capsule.

No crewed spacecraft has ever reached an orbital path higher than 65 degrees, a feat the Soviet Vostok 6 mission, which carried the first woman to space, achieved in 1963. Typically, such orbits are occupied by smaller satellites, while larger spacecraft such as the International Space Station fly closer to the equator.

The expedition, named after the ship Fram used by Norwegian explorers to reach the poles in the late 19th century, will be Dragon’s sixth commercial astronaut mission and third free-flying mission. The spacecraft has flown three private missions to the ISS for customer Axiom Space, completed the Inspiration4 private orbital spaceflight on behalf of billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, and will launch another mission for Isaacman—Polaris Dawn—as soon as this month.

“Polaris Program, Inspiration4, Axiom, & now Fram2 showcase what commercial missions can achieve thanks to @SpaceX’s reusability and NASA’s vision with the commercial crew program,” Isaacman said in a post on social media platform X, which is owned by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. “All just small steps towards unlocking the last great frontier.”

Fram2 similarly is backed by a wealthy CEO, entrepreneur and adventurer Chun Wang, who made his fortune from Bitcoin mining. Wang purchased the mission for an undisclosed amount and will serve as commander.

According to his profile on X, Wang is an avid traveler who has visited half of the world’s countries and territories. But he has grander aspirations.

“I’ve read many sci-fi stories about the first human missions to Mars, usually led by NASA or some fictional government,” Wang said in a post on X. “Rarely does anyone dare to imagine such a mission may be carried out privately. But now, I increasingly believe that someday we will reach Mars—and it may be a person, or a company, not a nation, who gets there.”

Accompanying Wang will be commander Jannicke Mikkelsen of Norway, pilot Eric Philips of Australia, and mission specialist Rabea Rogge of Germany, who told the website Everyday Astronaut they befriended the blockchain entrepreneur on a trek to the North Pole. All four crew members will be making their first trip to the final frontier.

Mikkelson is a filmmaker who seeks out remote or hazardous filming locations and served as payload specialist on the 2019 One More Orbit mission—a record-breaking polar circumnavigation flight on the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11.

According to its website, Fram2 will shatter One More Orbit’s high water mark of 46 hours and 40 minutes, achieved in a Qatar Executive Gulfstream G650ER ultra-long-range business jet, by flying from the north to south pole in just 46 minutes.

Philips, a polar adventurer and guide, knows those regions well, having completed several ski expeditions. But viewing them from orbit has never been possible, even for astronauts on the ISS, to whom they appear invisible.

Fram2 will orbit at about 264-280 miles above Earth, allowing the crew to study strange green and purple light emissions known as Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancements (STEVE), atmospheric phenomena that resemble auroras. Researchers have yet to determine what causes the optical abnormalities. The mission will weigh input from space physicists and citizen scientists alike.

“Having spent much of my adult life in the polar regions this is an incredible opportunity to view the Arctic and Antarctica from space, in particular Antarctica which will be fully lit at this time of year,” said Philips.

Rogge similarly has a fascination with extreme environments, having researched ocean robotics in the Arctic in pursuit of ways to improve the technology. She will get the chance to study tools that could prepare humans for future missions to Mars and beyond, “from capturing the first human x-ray images in space to Just-in-Time training tools to the effects of spaceflight on behavioral health,” according to Fram2’s webpage. The crew will also study what happens to the human body after weeks or months in space.

“Wang aims to use the mission to highlight the crew’s explorational spirit, bring a sense of wonder and curiosity to the larger public, and highlight how technology can help push the boundaries of exploration of Earth and through the mission’s research,” SpaceX said in an update on its website.

Since 2020, SpaceX has flown 50 astronauts to low-Earth orbit across 13 human spaceflight missions, more than any private company. These include the three Axiom Space missions, Inspiration4, and eight NASA Commercial Crew rotation missions to the ISS, as well as the Demo-2 test flight.

Competitors Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, meanwhile, have each completed seven commercial human spaceflights.

All three companies, in addition to NASA contractors such as Boeing and Northrop Grumman, are part of an emerging trend that could soon become the norm. NASA has predicted that when the ISS is retired at the end of the decade, it could become one of many customers enlisting the services of private spaceflight companies, rather than a provider of those services.

That could mean more private astronaut missions financed by millionaire and billionaire backers.

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NASA officials on Wednesday held a media briefing, during which stakeholders revealed that confidence in Starliner’s ability to return the astronauts is waning. According to Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of the agency’s Space Operations Mission Directorate, teams are “getting more serious about evaluating our other options.”

The primary alternative, officials said, is to fly SpaceX’s upcoming Crew-9 mission with two astronauts rather than four, leaving room for Wilmore and Williams to hitch a ride when that mission concludes in February. They estimated that NASA will make a decision by mid-August.

“We could take either path,” Bowersox said.

Boeing and SpaceX representatives were not present on the call, the intention of which, NASA said, was to provide the agency’s perspective on the mission.

On its way up to the ISS, Starliner suffered two main issues that are giving crews pause over how to return the astronauts. A set of helium leaks that emerged on the spacecraft have since stabilized, according to NASA. However, the other issue, which involves five faulty reaction control system (RCS) thrusters on Starliner’s expendable service module, is still being evaluated.

Officials on Wednesday said ground testing of an identical thruster at White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico revealed that the problem is linked to a tiny Teflon seal on an oxidizer poppet, which controls the flow of propellant into the thruster. Teams theorize that the extreme heat the thrusters experienced during Starliner’s rendezvous with the ISS caused the Teflon to expand, inhibiting flow and causing them to fire at weaker-than-expected levels.

According to Steve Stich, who manages NASA’s Commercial Crew program, a July 27 Starliner hot fire test showed that the affected thrusters—with the exception of one, which has been deactivated—are now firing as expected. This has led engineers to hypothesize that the teflon seals contracted and are no longer blocking propellant from reaching the thrusters. Now, the task is to understand how and why.

Teams are working to better understand how those seals might behave during Starliner’s return trip, but there is not yet consensus on whether they are good to go. According to Bowersox and Stich, there is internal disagreement about returning the astronauts on Starliner versus Dragon, which was amplified with the discovery of the faulty teflon seal.

“We heard enough voices [on the program control board] that the decision is not clear,” said Bowersox.

The officials explained that Boeing, which on Friday asserted it has high confidence in Starliner, is viewing risk based on previous missions and flight performance, while NASA wants to understand the root cause of the issue before it has confidence in returning with crew. Ultimately, NASA administrator Bill Nelson will have the final say.

“Reasonable people could have different views on which path we should take,” said Bowersox, who acknowledged that the chance of an uncrewed return has risen in recent weeks. “I don’t think anyone has taken a view that you could prove is wrong or right.”

NASA will have until mid-August to decide whether the Dragon contingency plan should be put into action.

The ISS has two docking modules that are occupied by Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew-8 capsule, meaning Starliner would need to autonomously undock before Crew-9 launches on September 24. Crew-8 would then depart the space station with the crew of NASA’s Expedition 71, and the Crew-9 Dragon would take its place, leaving one docking port open for the next SpaceX cargo mission. Wilmore and Williams would stay for the duration of Crew-9, flying home with the two-person Expedition 72 crew in February.

The problem, though, is that Starliner’s flight software is not currently capable of an autonomous undocking despite having achieved the feat during an uncrewed mission in 2022.

For the CFT, the software was configured for a crewed undocking, as per the mission profile. Now, Boeing and NASA must modify the mission data load to reconfigure the system for an uncrewed undocking, which sources say could take up to one month. NASA said the spacecraft has built-in fault tolerance that would prevent it from colliding with the ISS should its thrusters not perform as expected during that maneuver.

The agency said it has been in daily communication with Wilmore and Williams and that the astronauts are prepared for whatever path it ultimately takes. If they stay along with Crew-9, they will assist personnel with scientific research, including spacewalks. Additional materials, such as spacesuits, would be sent up with the Dragon.

“Butch and Suni are ready to support whatever we need to do,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s ISS program.

Officials insist that despite the internal conflict around Starliner, the vehicle could still be used to return the astronauts in the case of a contingency on the ISS. In those scenarios, Bowersox said, NASA is willing to tolerate a higher level of risk—one that is jeopardizing teams’ ability to complete the CFT as intended.

The worst-case scenario, according to NASA, would be if the helium leak and thruster issues converge during Starliner’s deorbit burn, the maneuver that will place it back in Earth’s atmosphere. An unlikely combination of technical failures could impact the ability of the RCS thrusters to maintain the capsule’s orbital trajectory, though agency research predicts that it could complete the maneuver even with multiple failures.

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The spacecraft’s return marks the commercial space company’s 30th cargo resupply mission of the orbital outpost for the space agency.

Suspended under four deployed parachutes, the capsule landed in the Atlantic Ocean at 1:38 a.m. EST off the coast of Tampa, NASA said.

• READ MORE: NASA SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Successfully Launches After Delays

“Once Dragon has been retrieved by SpaceX’s recovery team, the critical science aboard the spacecraft will be transported via helicopter to [NASA’s Kennedy Space Center] and provided to researchers,”  SpaceX said in an update following the splashdown.

Later this week, the three NASA astronauts and a Roscosmos cosmonaut who comprise SpaceX Crew-8 currently aboard ISS are set to move a Dragon crew spacecraft capsule in order to make way for new crewmembers who could arrive at the space station as soon as next week. 

• READ MORE: NASA Astronauts Detail Daily Life, Firsts Aboard International Space Station

On Thursday, Crew-8 is set to move the Dragon crew spacecraft that is currently docked at the forward port of ISS’s Harmony module to its zenith port, NASA said. The undocking and redocking is expected to take less than an hour.

“That will clear the forward port of Harmony for the arrival of the Boeing Starliner spacecraft with Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard on the Crew Flight Test (CFT) mission,” NASA said.

• READ MORE: NASA Is Asking for Help to Return Samples That Could Uncover Life on Mars

Launch of the Boeing Crew Flight Test is planned for 10:34 p.m. Monday at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. It is expected to reach the ISS shortly before 1 a.m. EST May 8.

In preparation for the arrival of @NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, four crew members will relocate the @SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the space-facing port of the Harmony module on Thursday, May 2.

Live coverage of the relocation will begin at 7:30am ET. https://t.co/JmNvsHSYGu

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) April 29, 2024

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Shortly before 6 a.m. EDT Tuesday, the crew splashed down in a SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, nearly 19 hours after it autonomously undocked from the ISS. The astronauts were retrieved by the company’s recovery vessels, NASA said.

• READ MORE: NASA Crew-7 Astronauts Arrive at International Space Station

The Crew-7 mission launched August 26 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. On board were astronauts from four different countries and three continents: NASA’s Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency’s Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos’ Konstantin Borisov.

“After more than six months aboard the International Space Station, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 has safely returned home,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. “This international crew showed that space unites us all. It’s clear that we can do more—we can learn more—when we work together. The science experiments conducted during their time in space will help prepare for NASA’s bold missions at the moon, Mars, and beyond, all while benefiting humanity here on Earth.”

• READ MORE: Ax-3 Commercial Astronauts Splash Down after 18 Days Aboard ISS

Following its liftoff, the crew traveled 84,434,094 miles during the mission, spent 197 days aboard the space station, and completed 3,184 orbits of Earth, according to NASA.

Crew-7’s return marks the latest milestone for NASA’s commercial crew program and comes a week after the successful SpaceX launch of three NASA astronauts and a Roscosmos cosmonaut to ISS as a crew rotation.

• READ MORE: NASA SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Successfully Launches After Delays

The Dragon spacecraft, which has supported two other ISS crew rotations, will be returned to Florida for inspection and refurbishment at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to ready it for its next flight, NASA said.

Splashdown of Dragon confirmed – welcome back to Earth, @AstroJaws, @Astro_Andreas, @Astro_Satoshi, and Kostya! pic.twitter.com/iugZ6Awwvn

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 12, 2024

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The mission, dubbed Crew-8, lifted off  from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:53 p.m. EST, marking NASA’s eighth commercial ISS crew rotation.

The launch had initially been planned for Friday but was delayed twice due to high winds along the spacecraft’s ascent path.

Standing down from tonight’s launch of Crew-8 due to elevated winds in Dragon’s ascent corridor. Now targeting Sunday, March 3 for liftoff

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 3, 2024

On board the Dragon Endeavour spacecraft were NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin. 

• READ MORE: NASA SpaceX Crew-8 Mission Launch Date Set

“On this eighth crew rotation mission, we are once again showing the strength of our commercial partnerships and American ingenuity that will propel us further in the cosmos,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said Monday. “Aboard the station, the crew will conduct more than 200 science experiments and technology demonstrations to help fuel this new era of space exploration and benefit humanity here on Earth,” 

The crew is scheduled to arrive at ISS on Tuesday around 3 a.m. EST, when the spacecraft will autonomously dock with the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module.

• READ MORE: SpaceX Launch Sends 4 Private Astronauts to ISS

Once Crew-8 arrives, it will overlap with the existing ISS astronauts, Crew-7, until they depart to return to Earth a few days later, NASA said.

NASA is providing live coverage of the Crew-8 mission docking event and hatch opening starting at 3 a.m. EST. It may be viewed here.

Liftoff of Crew-8! pic.twitter.com/wqTFNNDGR9

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 4, 2024

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On board the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft will be NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin.

Crew-8 represents the eighth ISS crew rotation mission and ninth human spaceflight mission to the space outpost since 2020 that has been supported by a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft.

• READ MORE: First Space Force Guardian Heading to ISS Orbital Outpost

“During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct over 200 scientific experiments and technology demonstrations, including new research to prepare human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit and benefit humanity on Earth,” SpaceX said in a statement.

The launch is targeted for 12:04 a.m. EST Friday from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, NASA said. According to SpaceX, a backup launch opportunity is scheduled for the same day at 11:41 p.m.

• READ MORE: Ax-3 Commercial Astronauts Splash Down after 18 Days Aboard ISS

Following the stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, SpaceX said.

NASA projects the crew will dock with the ISS around 7 a.m. Saturday.

• READ MORE: SpaceX’s Starship Selected to Launch Starlab Space Station

How to Watch

The Crew-8 mission launch, as well as docking, may be viewed via livestream on a number of platforms. Leading up to the launch, NASA will begin its coverage at 8 p.m. Thursday on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency website. 

SpaceX will also begin its coverage about an hour before launch on X, formerly known as Twitter.

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Later this year, Space Force Colonel Nick Hague will pilot a NASA mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission aboard the Dragon spacecraft, the service announced. The mission will be the ninth rotation admission at the space station under NASA’s commercial crew program.

• READ MORE: U.S. Space Force Activates Europe, Africa Command

“The core of our mission on the space station is to perform science experiments and collect data,” Hague said. “The [ISS] provides a unique platform in microgravity, which allows researchers from around the world to explore and discover processes that could have significant impact on the behavior of our bodies and the environment around us, both on Earth and off planet.”

The launch, scheduled for no earlier than August, is a history-making first for a Space Force Guardian but marks Hague’s second mission to ISS. In March 2019, Hague, who was then in the Air Force, began a 203-day mission at the space outpost, where he spent nearly 20 hours conducting spacewalks.

• READ MORE: SpaceX’s Starship Selected to Launch Starlab Space Station

Joining Hague on the Crew-9 mission will be Commander Zena Cardman, Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov. Once the crew arrives at the station, Hague will transition to a flight engineer role. The Crew-9 mission will then conduct a handover with NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission, which is set to launch to the ISS no earlier than February 22. 

• READ MORE: U.S. Space Force’s Secret Robot Spaceplane Could Be Headed to Deep Orbit

“Being a part of this mission is a unique honor, but it’s truly a collective effort,” Hague said. “Guardians worldwide ensure safe and secure operations of critical systems for launch and on station. From GPS satellites that underpin our station navigation systems, to space domain awareness sites around the globe that help NASA prevent orbital debris from colliding with the space station, to the launch range that my crew will use when we lift off, Guardians provide critical support without which our NASA human spaceflight program wouldn’t be possible.”

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Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3) on board SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft lifted off via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 4:49 p.m. EST from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. 

Falcon 9 launches Ax-3, Dragon’s 12th human spaceflight mission pic.twitter.com/VaswQz7npo

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 18, 2024

On board the spacecraft is the first all-European commercial astronaut crew, which is scheduled to spend about two weeks aboard ISS conducting microgravity research, educational outreach, and commercial activities, according to NASA.

“Together with our commercial partners, NASA is supporting a growing commercial space economy and the future of space technology,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement. “During their time aboard the International Space Station, the Ax-3 astronauts will carry out more than 30 scientific experiments that will help advance research in low-Earth orbit.”

• READ MORE: First U.S. Moonshot in Decades Will Fall Short—What It Means

In a quick check-in shortly after liftoff, “Ax-3 commander Michael López-Alegría confirmed the crew’s well-being and safety,” according to Axiom Space.

The Dragon spacecraft is expected to autonomously dock with the forward port of the ISS Harmony module on Saturday around 4:19 a.m. EST.

“Hatches between Dragon and the station are expected to open after 6 a.m., allowing the Axiom crew to enter the complex for a welcoming ceremony and start their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory,” NASA said.

NASA is providing live coverage of the docking event starting at 2:30 a.m. EST. It may be viewed here.

The Ax-3 astronauts are scheduled to leave the ISS on February 3 for their return to Earth and will splash down off the coast of Florida.

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But less than 10 minutes before the historic flight, SpaceX called it off, delivering the disappointing news that Starship would not take off for at least 48 hours. So what happened? The firm’s head honcho provided some clarity:

“A pressurant valve appears to be frozen, so unless it starts operating soon, no launch today,” tweeted Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX (and chief executive of Twitter).

A pressurant valve appears to be frozen, so unless it starts operating soon, no launch today

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 17, 2023

The frozen valve created pressurization issues with the rocket’s booster, forcing Musk and SpaceX to scrub the uncrewed launch.

However, despite the postponement, SpaceX performed what is called a “wet dress rehearsal,” treating the launch as real until the countdown reached 10 seconds. As previously planned, the 400-foot-tall rocket and booster were loaded with about 10 million pounds of icy-cold (minus-272 degrees Fahrenheit) liquid methane propellant.

The wet rehearsal also allowed SpaceX to collect data that could ensure the real deal goes smoothly.

“Learned a lot today, now offloading propellant, retrying in a few days …” Musk noted in a follow-up Tweet.

SpaceX added that its team is “working towards the next available opportunity” for a flight test, though it did not specify a date. The company has another launch window reserved for Tuesday morning, but Wednesday is the earliest it can attempt another launch.

However, Musk saw this coming. In a live discussion on Twitter Spaces Sunday evening, the SpaceX founder warned that “if we see anything that gives us concern, we will postpone the launch.”

Musk also cautioned that Starship could explode, a familiar outcome of the company’s other tests, including those of this particular model. But so long as the launchpad—which would take months to rebuild, according to Musk – remains intact, the SpaceX CEO “would consider that to be a success.”

“Just don’t blow up the launchpad,” he mused to thousands of listeners.

Starship prototype crashes have been well-documented. But that hasn’t kept NASA, which has suffered multiple explosions to its Space Launch System, from maintaining a tight partnership with SpaceX. 

Most notably, the agency enlisted the space exploration company and aerospace and defense firm Northrop Grumman to resupply the International Space Station, and SpaceX’s Dragon has already completed several successful trips—including one that concluded over the weekend.

But NASA and SpaceX have a different plan for Starship: the moon, Mars, and beyond. The rocket’s design includes a large cabin and airlocks to enable moonwalks, as well as a maximum payload of 165 tons to facilitate deliveries of cargo and other equipment. 

Eventually, SpaceX says, it will be able to carry as many as 100 people on long-term missions, including to the moon and other planets. 

The company also envisions Starship being used to establish a lunar base, which would serve as a waypoint for future missions. Musk himself has teased the concept, envisaging “hundreds of thousands” of staffers on the moon.

SpaceX is thinking years, if not decades, in advance. But in order to turn those voyages to the stars into a reality, the firm will first need to prove its next-generation aircraft can escape the Earth. In short, there’s a lot riding on Monday’s postponed launch—and all eyes will be on Musk and SpaceX.

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“Our intent is to not use the system at all, right, for the return leg home,” said NASA commercial crew program manager Steve Stich. “Because of what we’ve seen with fluid … so we don’t intend to use that system at all. And we have other means to allow the crew to, um, perform the functions they need to.”

The Endeavour spacecraft has been experiencing an adhesive issue, where urine is leaking out of a tube connected to the storage tank, causing quite the mess underneath the capsule floor.

The Crew-2 astronauts will have to go in their suits, using “undergarments” as their backup. The last Crew Dragon capsule took about six hours to return to Earth from the ISS. Hopefully, the astronauts will remember to go before they leave the station.

Fortunately for the Crew-3 astronauts, the problem has already been solved for their upcoming trip.

“We did work together with NASA to limit the system’s use during the Crew-2 return downhill portion of the mission,” said Sarah Walker, Dragon mission management director. “And as mentioned, we went ahead and rolled in a design improvement that’s been fully qualified and reviewed by NASA for the Crew-3 mission, launching hopefully this weekend, to make the system even more robust.”

Returning home this month are Crew-2 astronauts Shane Kimbrough, Megan McArthur, Akihiko Hoshide, and Thomas Pesquet.

NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn, and Kayla Barron are joined by European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer for the Crew-3 mission. The team is currently in quarantine following a minor medical issue of one of the crew members. NASA reported that it is not COVID-19 related and expects to launch as early as Saturday at 11:36 p.m.

Pilots are familiar with the challenges faced by the crews, with their own ways of dealing with the … issue.

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