
In a landmark mission, Bitcoin investor Chun Wang purchased an entire SpaceX flight. It was for himself and three polar explorers, becoming the first human to fly above both the North and South poles from space. The audacious flight, which launched Monday evening from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, represents a substantial leap forward in space tourism.
The Greatest Arctic Expedition
Wang, an entrepreneur from China who is now a citizen of Malta, began his 3½-day journey alongside three guests. They were of differentiating pedigree: Norwegian director Jannicke Mikkelsen; Rabea Rogge, a German scientist who specializes in robotics; and Australian expert in the polar regions Eric Philips. The flight, which will be completed in a SpaceX Falcon rocket. Moreover, it will travel an altitude of around 270 miles and will take nearly 1½ hours to travel from pole to pole. Having previously travelled to polar regions of earth himself, Wang sees the flight as an opportunity to “push boundaries” and spread knowledge from space.
An Unparalleled Milestone in Space Exploration
This Mission signifies a distinctive milestone in space exploration. For 64 years, no person has traveled past 65 degrees latitude north and south. Also, none travelled close to the frozen circle, but the flight is expected to be a new benchmark since it will be flying over both poles. The team will perform over twenty experiments. It will be including frontier human X-rays in outer space. Furthermore, they want to use the flight to bring attention to climate change and the melting of the polar ice caps. Wang, too, the flight is an opportunity of another polar space mission. Also, it is a motivation for future missions that will push the journey of humans further.
The Growth of Space Tourism
The flight also reflects the growth of space tourism. SpaceX improves its training for civilians to travel safely to space. For Wang, the flight represents his 1,000th trip. So it shows that space travel is becoming more commonplace. Recent news updates about space tourism suggest this adventure suggests a launchpad to more aspirational space exploration in the future.