On Friday, April 4, 2025, a privately funded space mission concluded with a successful Pacific Ocean landing off the Southern California coast. The flight, chartered by Bitcoin investor Chun Wang, marked a significant milestone as the first human spaceflight to orbit the Earth above both the North and South Poles. The crew launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Monday, March 31, 2025, and spent three and a half days aboard the Dragon capsule, a spacecraft developed by SpaceX. The mission, called Fram2, honored a famous polar exploration vessel from the early 1900s and carried four individuals: a robotics expert from Germany, a polar guide from Australia, a filmmaker from Norway, and Wang, a Chinese-born entrepreneur now based in Malta. The capsule featured a domed window offering panoramic views of Earth’s polar regions.

The mission included a series of scientific experiments, such as the first medical X-rays conducted in space, along with 24 other tests. The crew members initially suffered from space motion sickness but reported feeling better by the second day. Their activities provided valuable data about human adaptability in orbit and conditions upon returning to Earth. SpaceX stated that the decision to splash down in the Pacific, a first in 50 years for crewed spaceflight, was made to enhance safety by avoiding debris risks near Florida. This groundbreaking expedition demonstrated technological ingenuity, highlighted global cooperation, and expanded the possibilities for future commercial space travel, which experts say could become more prevalent and accessible in the near future.