On April 1, 2025, Rabea Rogge, a 29-year-old electrical engineer and polar robotics expert from Berlin, made history as the first female astronaut from Germany when she embarked on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience as part of the privately financed Fram2 mission.
This historic voyage not only shattered gender norms but also represented humanity’s inaugural low Earth polar orbit—a bold path directly above the North and South poles at an angle of 90°.
1. Fram2: A Polar Journey in Orbit
Financed and initiated by crypto entrepreneur Chun Wang, the Fram2 mission was inspired by the iconic Norwegian polar ship Fram, utilized by explorers Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen to venture into unexplored polar territories.
Launching from Kennedy Space Center’s LC‑39A atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 01:46 UTC (March 31, US EDT), the mission spanned 3 days, 14 hours, and 33 minutes, culminating with a Pacific Ocean splashdown near California on April 4, 2025.
Fram2 was remarkable for navigating a previously unused orbital route—the same as polar reconnaissance satellites—but applying it to a human-rated spacecraft. The capsule circled Earth approximately 55 times, passing over each pole roughly every 45 minutes.
2. Rabea Rogge: Engineer, Scientist, and Pioneer
Hailing from Berlin, Rogge studied electrical engineering and information technology at ETH Zurich, later pursuing a PhD in marine technology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, with a focus on Arctic robotics and autonomous navigation.
She has led satellite and ocean robotics ventures through the Swiss Academic Spaceflight Initiative (ARIS) and is deeply invested in polar research.
Chosen by Chun Wang after a meeting during an Arctic expedition in Svalbard, Rogge was designated pilot and scientific officer for Fram2. Her duties included coordinating the mission’s 22 scientific experiments, which featured the first-ever X-ray imaging of humans in space, investigations on muscle and bone health, and cultivating oyster mushrooms in microgravity.
To engage students and youth, Rogge launched the Fram2Ham amateur radio project—transmitting slow-scan TV images and messages from space to schools and youth organizations, particularly in partnership with TU Berlin’s radio club.
3. Scientific Highlights: From STEVE to Space X-Rays
Among Fram2’s experiments were observations of STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement)—a rare aurora-like light phenomenon found between 400 and 500 km altitude.
The crew also executed the inaugural X-ray imaging of a human in space, part of the SpaceXray medical study. Other investigations included cognitive performance assessments, exercise protocols for maintaining bone and muscle health, and growing mushrooms as a potential food source for future Mars missions.
Rogge’s personal belongings added symbolic significance: she carried a medal honoring aviation pioneer Otto Lilienthal from Berlin’s Technikmuseum and a replica of the Liberty Bell from Berlin-Schöneberg’s town hall.
4. Mission Legacy: Breaking Barriers and Inspiring Generations
Rogge’s journey represents the first instance of a woman from Germany traveling to space—it follows the paths of over a dozen male German astronauts, including Sigmund Jähn in 1978 and Matthias Maurer in 2021–22.
Her mission also raised the global total of women currently in space to five, joining efforts aboard the ISS and China’s Tiangong station.
German space organizations and the DLR (German Aerospace Center) celebrated the mission as a significant advancement, especially since a prior national initiative, “Die Astronautin,” failed to send a German woman into orbit by 2023. Fram2, while privately financed, successfully achieved that objective with worldwide repercussions.
Numerous STEM organizations, advocates for female empowerment, and educators applauded Rogge’s launch, viewing her as a living testament to breaking scientific and gender barriers. Rogge aspires that her mission inspires more girls and young women to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
5. The Evolution of Private Space Endeavors
Through Fram2, SpaceX reaffirmed the feasibility of privately funded, entirely civilian missions to orbit. Marking approximately the sixth private Crew Dragon flight and sixth reuse of a Falcon 9 booster by 2025, this further highlights the emergence of space tourism and privately sponsored research missions as standard alternatives to government-led launches.
Chun Wang, whose fortune originates from founding mining pools such as F2Pool and Stakefish, financed the mission and chose a diverse team that included Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen (mission commander) and Australian Eric Philips, a polar explorer serving as the medical officer.
Mikkelsen made history as the first European to command a Crew Dragon, adding to the groundbreaking quality of the mission.
6. The Future Prospects for German Space
Fram2 provides insights for Germany’s advancing space goals and emphasizes how the private sector can enhance public initiatives. The mission exemplified daring innovation—from trajectory adjustments to technological advancements—and highlighted collaborations between research institutions, universities like TU Berlin, and international space tech platforms.
Educational initiatives such as Fram2Ham and Rogge’s personal journey energize Germany’s commitment to closing gender gaps in STEM fields. More generally, the success of this mission indicates that Germany may adopt private-public partnerships as it enters a fresh chapter in space exploration.
7. Conclusion: A Polar Orbit of Inspiration
Rabea Rogge’s historic adventure aboard Fram2 marks a significant milestone for Germany and global spaceflight. The mission integrated scientific inquiry, educational initiatives, and symbolic representation, heightened by the uniqueness of polar orbit and space phenomena like STEVE and cosmic X-rays.
As Germany’s first female astronaut, Rogge has not only journeyed into space but has also broken through longstanding obstacles. Upon her return, she left a legacy of inspiration—her courage and intellect converging in a moment that could reshape future space careers for many generations.
Fram2 may have spanned just under four days, but its impact—on science, representation, and space innovation—will be lasting. In Rabea Rogge’s orbit around our poles, she carried with her the promise of Germany’s space future and the aspirations of many who will follow.