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WG3K > ANS 13.04.25 05:40z 23 Lines 4446 Bytes #13 (0) @ AMSAT
BID : ANS096.1
Read: GUEST
Subj: Fram2 Mission Blends Polar Orbit, Amateur Radio, and Private
Path: SR8BBS<SR4BBX<DB0RES<DB0ERF<DK0WUE<PI8ZTM<CX2SA<ZL2BAU<WG3K
Sent: 250406/0320Z 15949@WG3K.#SMD.MD.USA.NOAM LinBPQ6.0.24
SpaceX launched the Fram2 private astronaut mission on Monday, March 31st, marking a new chapter in commercial spaceflight. The Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience carried four private astronauts into a polar orbit-making it the first crewed mission to fly directly over both the North and South Poles. After three and a half days in orbit, the spacecraft splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California on Friday, April 4th.
One of the mission's standout features was Fram2Ham, an amateur radio initiative led by mission pilot Rabea Rogge (LB9NJ/KD3AID), a robotics researcher from Germany. On April 1st, just hours after reaching orbit, Rogge conducted the first amateur radio contact ever made from a Crew Dragon spacecraft. Speaking on 437.550 MHz, she answered questions from students at Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin) during a live-streamed session focused on STEM topics.
The mission also featured slow-scan television (SSTV) transmissions sent by Rogge using an ICOM IC-705 transceiver. Amateur radio operators around the world tuned in and successfully decoded images sent from orbit. The images were submitted to an online gallery maintained by ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station), with over 1,100 general entries and more than 110 from student STEM teams submitted during the mission.
[https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fram2-SpaceX-Drag...]https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fram2-SpaceX-Dragon-Rabea-Rogge-Jannicke-Mikkelsen.jpg
Framonauts Rabea Rogge and Jannicke Mikkelsen pictured inside Crew Dragon Resilience. [Credit: SpaceXhttps://x.com/SpaceX / Fram2https://x.com/framonauts]
The Fram2Ham experiment demonstrated that meaningful amateur radio operations can be carried out from commercial crew vehicles using compact, battery-powered equipment. ARISS called the effort a breakthrough for ham radio in human spaceflight, noting that the success of Fram2Ham opens the door to future communications experiments aboard non-governmental orbital missions and commercial space stations.
Fram2 also included operational tests with future exploration goals in mind. Following splashdown, the astronauts exited the spacecraft without external help to simulate autonomous egress procedures that may be necessary on lunar or Martian surfaces. The hands-on, self-directed nature of the Fram2Ham project paralleled this emphasis on independence, with Rogge managing transmissions without ground crew assistance.
[https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fram2-Mission-Ear...]https://www.amsat.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Fram2-Mission-Earth-View-from-Dragon-Cuploa.jpg
The Fram2 crew shared stunning views of Earth from the SpaceX Dragon capsule in videos posted on Xhttps://x.com/. [Credit: Framonaut Chun Wanghttps://x.com/satofishi]
The mission saw strong participation from the amateur radio community. The Live OSCAR Status Page on the AMSAT web site received a record 496 reception reports during the mission, more observations than any other spacecraft in a 4-day period since the page's inception. Although several operators attempted to receive signals during the reentry phase, none succeeded, as the capsule entered a plasma blackout. Still, engagement across the amateur radio world was described as historic.
Fram2 was organized and funded by Chun Wang, a Malta-based cryptocurrency entrepreneur originally from China, who also served as the mission commander. He was joined by Rogge, Norwegian cinematographer Jannicke Mikkelsen as vehicle commander, and Australian polar explorer Eric Philips as mission specialist and medical officer. The team conducted 22 research experiments in orbit, including medical imaging, materials testing, and biological studies.
As the first crewed mission to reach a 90-degree orbital inclination, Fram2 provided rare views of polar auroras and remote Arctic landscapes. For Wang, the mission fulfilled a childhood curiosity about the polar regions; for the broader space community, it demonstrated how private spaceflight can combine scientific research, technical innovation, and public outreach-including a successful amateur radio experiment that brought signals from orbit to Earthbound listeners around the globe.
[ANS thanks SpaceNewshttps://spacenews.com/, ARISShttps://x.com/ARISS_Intl, and Joe Fitzgerald, KM1P, for the above information]
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