{"id":9882,"date":"2025-04-01T01:35:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T17:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/meet-the-fram2-crew-a-cryptocurrency-entrepreneur-a-cinematographer-a-robotics-engineer-and-an-arctic-explorer\/"},"modified":"2025-04-01T01:35:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T17:35:18","slug":"meet-the-fram2-crew-a-cryptocurrency-entrepreneur-a-cinematographer-a-robotics-engineer-and-an-arctic-explorer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/meet-the-fram2-crew-a-cryptocurrency-entrepreneur-a-cinematographer-a-robotics-engineer-and-an-arctic-explorer\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Fram2 crew: A cryptocurrency entrepreneur, a cinematographer, a robotics engineer and an Arctic explorer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
The four astronauts of the Fram2 mission pose inside the suit up room near Launch Complex 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center. From left to right: mission commander Chun Wang, vehicle pilot Rabea Rogge, vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen and mission specialist and medical officer Eric Philips. Image: Fram2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Four people united by their fascination with the Earth\u2019s polar regions are embarking on a spaceflight that will allow them to experience those remote areas like no human before.<\/p>\n

Chun Wang, a 42-year-old entrepreneur and adventurer, chartered a free-flier mission with SpaceX aboard the Dragon Resilience spacecraft. Following eight months of training, he along with Jannicke Mikkelsen, a 38-year-old cinematographer and director; Rabea Rogge, a 29-year-old, arctic robotics researcher; and Eric Philips, a 62-year-old polar explorer are undertaking a multi-day mission, dubbed \u201cFram2.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wang said he took inspiration from previous spaceflights that named their spacecraft and missions after historic vessels.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the evening of April 23, 2023, I was in Saudi Arabia, lying in my hotel bed, thinking about the perfect name for the world\u2019s first spaceflight mission to orbit the poles,\u201d Wang told Spaceflight Now in a prelaunch interview. \u201cI recalled the British Mars lander, Beagle2. I had spent a lot of time following that mission, among others, during my college years. It was named after the Beagle, the ship that carried Charles Darwin around the world in the 1830s. That\u2019s when it hit me. I could name my mission after a ship, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought of Fram, the ship aiming to [explore] both poles.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
An artist\u2019s rendering of the Crew Dragon Resilience orbiting over a polar region amid the aurora during the Fram2 mission. Graphic: SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to The Fram Museum, the polar ship was the first \u201cspecifically built in Norway for polar research.\u201d It sailed on three key expeditions: it drifted with the ice floes the Arctic Ocean between 1893 and 1896, to the arctic archipelago west of Greenland between 1898 and 1902 and to Antarctica from 1910 to 1912.<\/p>\n

Like the expeditions of yesteryear, Wang wanted to bring together this collective to bring their experiences with polar exploration to bear on this mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a crew, we are eager to showcase our explorational spirit and show the world the polar regions from a new angle while also showcasing how technology helps push the boundaries of how we understand Earth and Space,\u201d Chun said. \u201cWe\u2019ve all dedicated our lives to exploring and sharing the polar regions with others in different ways, we have a chance to do this on a scale that no one else has ever had.\u201d<\/p>\n

For a mission overview, click here. Before they take to the skies, here\u2019s an introduction to the four members of the Fram2 mission.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fram2 mission commander Chun Wang pictured inside the crew access arm at Launch Complex 39A during the dry dress rehearsal on Saturday, March 29, 2025. Image: Fram2\/SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chun Wang<\/h4>\n

The man behind the Fram2 mission, Chun Wang, is an entrepreneur who became fascinated with travel at a very young age. Growing up in China, he said it wasn\u2019t until he turned 18 in 2000 and went off to university that he traveled more 172 km (107 mi) from his home.<\/p>\n

As a kid, he imagined traveling the world, thanks to his grandparents with whom he lived during his childhood. Wang said they were the ones who taught him to read.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1987, when I was 5 years old, my grandfather went for a walk and brought home a world map he had found. That map instantly became my favorite thing to play with, and it sparked my curiosity,\u201d Wang said. \u201cWhat really caught my eye was the empty space at the bottom of the map\u2014the polar regions. From that moment, I was fascinated by the mystery and excitement of these distant and unknown places.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wang began really racking up travel miles when he started working for a Norwegian-owned software company in Beijing. To save money, he slept on the sofa of a French colleague or at the office and then would commute back home on the weekends, which was about 120 km (75 mi) away from the office.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite having a full-time job, I traveled 75,900 km (47,162 mi) by train that year alone, using only my weekends,\u201d Wang said. \u201cIn total, I spent two months solely in train cars in 2007, leaving work for the train station on Fridays, only returning the following Mondays.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fram2 mission commander Chun Wang visits the Fram Museum in Oslo, Norway in 2022. About a year later, he said he was inspired to name a future spaceflight to explore the polar regions after the ship that set sail on multiple expeditions during the late 1800s and early 1900s. Image: Chun Wang via X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wang spent the next four years expanding his travels and was able to visit every province in China by train. His first international trip came in 2010 when he visited Nepal and later India.<\/p>\n

He said his travels took him to the southernmost tip of the Indian subcontinent. He hopped onboard what was then India\u2019s longest, non-stop train ride \u2014 16317 Himsagar Express \u2014 which took him from Kanyakumari to Kashmir and continued on his journey through the country, which he said ended up costing him about $1,000, \u201cwhich was everything I had.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn those years, I was fascinated by infrastructure and transportation, especially railways. I meticulously recorded every train ride down to the minutes, even the seconds, and posted these records on online forums and bulletin boards,\u201d Wang said. \u201cSomeone once gave me the nickname \u2018High-Speed Rail 1000 Times Guy\u2019 because I was counting my rides toward a goal of 1000 rides on the high-speed trains.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Wang said that as of March 20, 2025, he rode high-speed trains a total of 854 times. His number of air flights, however, is now tantalizingly close to 1,000.<\/p>\n

When he began planning the Fram2 mission with SpaceX, Wang also started really paying attention to the number of flights he\u2019d logged. According to his record, his flight onboard the Dragon Resilience will be his 1,000th flight of any kind and his first to space.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fram2 mission commander Chun Wang holds up a plaque noting that his flight onboard a SpaceX Dragon space craft will be his 1,000th flight to date. Image: Chun Wang via X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Before pursuing spaceflight, Wang\u2019s interest was in new terrestrial technologies. He first heard about personal computers when he was 7-years-old and received his first computer, a 486SX running MS-DOS 5.0 when he was 13-years-old and finished with primary school.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used it to write many interesting programs, besides games, one of the earliest was a gravity simulator that visualized planetary motion in the solar system,\u201d Wang said. \u201cAt school, I participated in various programming contests, including the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI) and ACM-ICPC. Instead of taking the national college entrance exam, I was directly admitted to university based on my performance in these contests.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wang leveraged his technology skills to co-found the Bitcoin mining company, f2poool in 2013. He said a year after its start, they became \u201cthe largest Bitcoin mining pool in the world.\u201d While that distinction is now held by Foundry USA, according to Luxor Technology\u2019s Hashrate Index, f2pool is still the fourth largest Bitcoin mining pool.<\/p>\n

Wang said that while they\u2019ve been able to mine 1.3 million Bitcoins over the past decade, his interest in cryptocurrency and Bitcoin has \u201cshifted\u201d over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, I find myself drawn to another new and emerging field\u2014the field I have been interested in since childhood \u2014- space,\u201d Wang said. \u201cSince SpaceX began recovering Falcon 9 boosters, the commercial space industry has been advancing at an incredible pace. Once again, I see something new and exciting unfolding, similar to the feeling when I first heard about computers and first discovered Bitcoin.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Bitcoin to blastoff<\/h4>\n

The seeds of the Fram2 mission were born through Wang\u2019s global travels as he continued to push further and further towards the poles. He said he felt a drive to \u201cpush the boundaries of how far in longitude and latitude I could go.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2006, I reached the border with Kazakhstan at 82\u00b0E to the west. In 2011, I traveled to India\u2019s southernmost tip, reaching 8\u00b0N to the south,\u201d Wang said. \u201cIn 2012, I took the Trans-Siberian Railway to Europe, arriving in St. Petersburg at 60\u00b0N, 30\u00b0E. In 2013, I went to Kamchatka, reaching 160\u00b0E to the east, then finally in 2016, I traveled to the United States for the first time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn December 2021, I reached the South Pole, and again in July 2023, the North Pole\u2014there are no further points left to push the boundary on Earth anymore, which makes space an exciting frontier to explore.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fram2 mission commander Chun Wang pictured during an expedition of the North Pole on July 16, 2023. Image: Chun Wang via Fram2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wang said as he considered what a spaceflight crew would look like, it was important to gather a group together that didn\u2019t include any Americans. Fram2 will be the first flight of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft without any representation from the United States, which he was intentional.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn 2004, when I volunteered as a Wikipedia editor, I spent a lot of time working on space related articles, including a list of space-faring countries\u2014those countries with at least an astronaut flown into orbit,\u201d Wang said. \u201cWhen I selected this crew, I intentionally made the crew diverse to represent the open future we hope to see for space exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n

When it came to who to include on this mission, Wang said first and foremost was to ensure that there was someone from Norway since Fram is a Norwegian ship. That\u2019s how Mikkelsen, a Norwegian cinematographer and film director, came to mind.<\/p>\n

\u201cJannicke and I are neighbors when I am in Svalbard, and given her past experience on \u2018One More Orbit,\u2019 she is probably one the best fit for this mission,\u201d Wang said.<\/p>\n

The other two crew members, Rogge from Germany and Philips from Australia, were folks who Wang met while on a ski expedition in Svalbard in April 2023.<\/p>\n

\u201cEric has been to the North Pole and South Pole for perhaps 30 times, while Rabea has worked on a CubeSat project,\u201d Wang said. \u201cBoth of them love space and have polar experience, so we\u2019re a great team connected by our connection to Svalbard and are excited to represent a place we love during the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wang said following the Fram2 mission he wants to stay involved with space and hinted at what he has his eye on next.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce Starship becomes operational, it will open up unprecedented possibilities for private space travel and Mars won\u2019t be just a distant dream,\u201d he said. \u201cConsidering the vast possibilities, I think it\u2019s time to start saving money\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fram2 vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen poses in the crew access arm at Launch Complex 39A during the dry dress rehearsal for the mission on Saturday, March 29, 2025. Image: Fram2\/SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jannicke Mikkelsen<\/h4>\n

Sitting in the seat reserved for a commander of a Dragon spacecraft is Jannicke Mikkelsen. The 38-year-old is an award winning cinematographer and film director who was hailed by the European Commission as \u201can innovator in next-gen film production.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was also called a \u201cmonument\u201d in virtual reality filmmaking by the lead guitarist of Queen, Brian May, who is also an astrophysicist. Mikkelsen received a Master\u2019s degree in cinematography from the National Film and Television school in the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n

Highlights of her professional career include serving as the director, director of photography and stenographer on the VR concert film, \u201cQueen + Adam Lambert: VR the Champions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been very fortunate to work with legends such as Brian May and to call him my mentor. He taught me that inspiration is born through renewed perspective!\u201d Mikkelsen said. \u201cYou can either seek out a new perspective, or you can create it. In my career I do a mixture of both. I seek to bring my camera where nobody has gone before me, and I also film in 3D to make you feel like you are there with me.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo make it possible to bring a camera with me I must innovate because the technology we have available today is insufficient for the challenge ahead. My dream is to take you with me on our Fram2 space mission for you to experience our mission and see planet Earth as we will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikkelsen, who grew up in Longyearbyen, Norway, said she has long been interested in filming in extreme environments. She said she likes the challenge and promise held in going to extraordinary lengths to get a shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cFew venture out into the uncomfortable to explore our planet. To operate in extreme environments takes years of preparation, innovation, and physical training to succeed,\u201d Mikkelsen said. \u201cAt large, few seek, or have access to extreme environments. And as we know, out of sight is out of mind. I see it as my duty to show you the most beautiful, yet vulnerable environments on our planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jannicke Mikkelsen, the vehicle commander of the Fram2 mission, is photographed with one of her cameras during a polar shoot. Image: Fram2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Part of that sense of duty is connected to why she runs. She and her fianc\u00e9, Rolf-Harald Haugen, are planning to run both the Spitzbergen marathon and the Berlin marathon even though she hates running.<\/p>\n

\u201cI run because I hate running and it\u2019s uncomfortable. Discomfort spawns growth. I will never take my ability to run for granted,\u201d Mikkelsen said. \u201cI spent five years learning to walk, run and jump after a horse riding accident when I was ten years old. To not run would be to do my body and brain a disservice.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was given the gift of a second chance at life. I will live my life forever exploring and building my body to carry me where I want to go next.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimate adventure<\/h4>\n

Mikkelsen says it\u2019s a huge point of pride for her to be the first professionally trained cinematographer to head to space. As someone who enjoys pushing the boundaries of what\u2019s possible she said she was \u201chonored\u201d to accept the challenge offered by Wang.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our mission objectives is to film the Arctic and Antarctic,\u201d she said. \u201c(It\u2019s) a responsibility I don\u2019t take lightly as the first humans in history to view Earth\u2019s poles from space.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mikkelsen is working with her production company, O2XR, to help capture the best views of both the Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis for future scientific study. They\u2019ve done extensive work in an attempt to leave as little to chance as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy team at O2XR and I have planned out every shot from space in detail by using a virtual mockup of our capsule in our orbit,\u201d Mikkelsen said. \u201cThis lets me virtually look out the Dragon windows and cupola, film with a virtual camera and attach all my virtual lenses to see what the image will look like when we are in orbit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fram2 vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen places the sticker for of the mission patch on her seat inside the suit-up room near Launch Complex 39A during the dry dress rehearsal on Saturday, March 29, 2025. Image: Fram2\/SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While on orbit, Mikkelsen said she plans to use an array of lenses and cameras, including Canon R5C and the RED V-Raptor 8K.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes I can confirm we have the capability to shoot 180-VR and 8K. VR is a way for you as the viewer to first hand experience our spaceflight,\u201d she said. \u201cThe quality will be like joining our four person crew and living with us in Dragon orbiting around Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

When she launches to space, she will also become the first Norwegian astronaut.<\/p>\n

\u201cI live on the archipelago Svalbard and am proud to represent the Arctic as part of our crew,\u201d Mikkelsen said. \u201cBeyond being the Vehicle Commander, my job is to document our record breaking space mission to inspire the next generation of astronauts.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a discussion on the mission over X\u2019s live audio streaming platform, Spaces, Mikkelsen said she has been collaborating on in-space photography techniques with one of NASA\u2019s most renowned photographers, astronaut Don Petit.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s been testing out a few camera settings for me and verifying that the hypothesis is correct,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She said beyond documenting the multi-day trip, she\u2019s most excited to help open the door to space for those who haven\u2019t been involved in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am just really honored that I am not a STEM-educated person. I have a Master\u2019s in cinematography. Even if it\u2019s a very technical subject, it\u2019s still considered art and I\u2019m honored to represent the non-STEM educated in space and flying my film camera,\u201d Mikkelsen said. \u201cI am so proud to be the first educated cinematographer in space. And I am stepping up to the challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fram2 vehicle pilot Rabea Rogge poses in the crew access arm at Launch Complex 39A during the dry dress rehearsal for the mission on Saturday, March 29, 2025. Image: Fram2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rabea Rogge<\/h4>\n

The youngest member of the Fram2 crew is Rabea Rogge. Hailing from Berlin, Germany, the 29-year-old is taking a pause from pursuing a PhD to take part in this mission to space.<\/p>\n

Originally, she was taking a pause from her studies to conduct a trip to Antarctica, but didn\u2019t imagine that flying to low Earth orbit was going to be on the docket.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am very humbled that Chun has invited me to this mission of a lifetime,\u201d Rogge said.<\/p>\n

The mission isn\u2019t the first time that space or interest in polar regions became a part of Rogge\u2019s life. She started her PhD in Norway with a focus on decision making for autonomous boats in polar waters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI find it fascinating how the rules change when conditions get hostile, with wind, waves and ice \u2013 it is already hard for us humans, so how should an autonomous agent know how to take the right path of action?\u201d Rogge said.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fram2 mission pilot Rabea Rogge poses with arctic robotic equipment as part of her PhD work. Image: Rabea Rogge\/Fram2<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her work with space began when she took part of a student team that set out to design and build a satellite intending to induce artificial gravity by spinning. The satellite also carried human cells onboard in order to observe \u201cthe effects of aging in different levels of microgravity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were a team of novices in the beginning and knew nothing of satellites \u2013 it was incredibly inspiring to see how far we got within one year of hard work, making mistakes and getting up and going again,\u201d Rogge said. \u201cWe went from nothing to already having tested a prototype on a parabolic flight and winning the ESA competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe often got told that our plans were too ambitious in the beginning, which only encouraged us more to go forward. It showed me how important perseverance and risk taking is and how much you can contribute to the New Space sector with a great team.\u201d<\/p>\n

First German woman in space<\/h4>\n

Rogge\u2019s involvement in the historic mission came about through a happenstance meeting. She and Eric Philips met Wang while training for a ski expedition in Spitsbergen and they all bonded over their love of \u201ctechnology, future visions and space technology in general.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all very interested to see where technology is headed and how it can be pushed to improve our lives even more,\u201d Rogge said. \u201cI was leading the satellite team at that time, so I would not stop talking about space missions and overly ambitious plans.\u201d<\/p>\n

During and after the mission, Rogge said she will focus on three main goals. The first two goals are focusing on enabling and communicating quality science to the public and connecting with the broad public through various outreach projects.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a researcher I know that we are usually not very good at explaining what we are doing and am excited to change that,\u201d Rogge said. \u201cIn this early time of spacefaring, it is our responsibility to share the experience and take people on the journey with us. I am most looking forward to an amateur radio competition and an aurora citizen science project that we have going on from space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Rabea Rogge, foreground, and Jannicke Mikkelsen, background, train inside a mockup of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at SpaceX\u2019s facilities in Hawthorne, California. Image: Fram2\/SpaceX<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Her final main goal is to provide an example of how human spaceflight can and should become more accessible and inclusive.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are the first ever crew without a licensed pilot onboard and our success will continue to make these missions accessible to a larger group of people,\u201d Rogge said. \u201cBy progress in the spacecraft being autonomous, less requirements are put on the pilot.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we want to become an interstellar civilization we need as much data as we can about living in space, which means broader access to space. We are not quite there yet, but I would love for awareness to spread on how fast the situation is changing \u2013 and for this to empower people to take part in the rapid changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the human spacefligh<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The four astronauts of the Fram2 mission pose inside the suit up room near Launch Complex 39A at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center. From left to right: mission commander Chun Wang, vehicle pilot Rabea Rogge, vehicle commander Jannicke Mikkelsen and mission specialist and medical officer Eric Philips. Image: Fram2 Four people united by their fascination with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1150,1151,479,1152,1153,1154,316],"class_list":["post-9882","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-chun-wang","tag-eric-philips","tag-falcon-9","tag-fram2","tag-jannicke-mikkelsen","tag-rabea-rogge","tag-spacex"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9882"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9882"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9882\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9882"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9882"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9882"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}