A Chinese-born bitcoin investor, Chun Wang, has embarked on a historic SpaceX flight with three polar explorers to reach the North and South poles. The 3 ½-day journey took off Monday night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard SpaceX’s Falcon rocket.
Wang, who owns multiple countries’ passports, wanted to experience the polar regions from space. He joined forces with Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar guide Eric Philips. The crew aims to document their journey on 24 experiments, including taking the first human X-rays in space.
The SpaceX capsule will circle the globe in approximately 1 ½ hours, reaching an altitude of 270 miles (440 kilometers) above the Earth’s surface. The crew plans to take stunning views and capture images during their orbit around the poles.
Wang has previously visited polar regions in person and expressed his desire to “push boundaries” and “share knowledge.” This mission marks Wang’s 1,000th flight and comes after a series of adventures, including flights on planes, helicopters, hot air balloons, and more than half of countries worldwide.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/space-tourism-north-south-pole-6ac8d097572ce019e962db5386c1cecb