Source: USA Today
“A SpaceX Dragon vehicle carrying four international astronauts on a commercial spaceflight around Earth’s poles has landed off the coast of California. The water landing brings to an end a four-day mission known as Fram2 in which the private spacefarers sought to become the first humans to fly in orbit over both the North and South poles. Cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang financed and led the pioneering mission, which launched late Monday from Florida on a southern trajectory. … Circling from pole to pole, the crew observed Earth’s polar regions from about 267 miles above the ground – an altitude that allowed the Dragon to fly from the North Pole to the South Pole in just more than 46 minutes. The Dragon traveled in a polar orbit at an inclination of 90 degrees, making it perpendicular to the equator.” (04/04/25)