Four space tourists returned to Earth on Friday, concluding their journey as the first private crew to orbit the planet’s poles. The crew splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off Southern California’s coast, marking the end of their self-funded expedition that provided unprecedented views of the Earth.
Bitcoin investor Chun Wang, who chartered the SpaceX Dragon capsule for the three-and-a-half day mission, led an international team that included Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, and Australian polar guide Eric Philips.
The group departed from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Monday night and made history as participants in the first human spaceflight to circle the globe above the poles.
Wang, Chinese-born and now a citizen of Malta, chartered the spacecraft which features a domed window offering panoramic views. The special cupola provided 270-mile-high (430-kilometer) perspectives.
“Space motion sickness hit all of us—we felt nauseous and ended up vomiting a couple of times,” he wrote. “It felt different from motion sickness in a car or at sea. You could still read on your iPad without making it worse. But even a small sip of water could upset your stomach and trigger vomiting.”
By the second day, he said, everyone felt better.
“By the second morning, I felt completely refreshed. The trace of motion sickness is all gone,” Wang posted. The crew then opened the cupola “right above the South Pole,” providing views of Earth’s southernmost region.
Mikkelsen, the Norwegian filmmaker, brought extensive camera equipment aboard to document the group’s journey.
Beyond sightseeing, the mission included approximately two dozen experiments, including what Wang described as “the first medical X-rays in space.” They also carried a fragment of the original Fram ship’s wooden deck.
“I’m talking to my son, he’s in Los Angeles, waiting for us to splash down. Can you believe that’s gonna be tomorrow?” Philips said to Wang.
Upon their return, the crew members were all in good physical shape, exiting the capsule independently and carrying equipment bags as part of ongoing medical assessments designed to evaluate how returning space travelers maintain stability.
Wang noted on social media that they became “the 681st humans to fly above the Kármán line, and the 626th to orbit the Earth.” The Kármán line, at approximately 62 miles (100 kilometers) altitude, is recognized as the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space.
The cost of the private expedition remains unknown, with Wang declining to reveal the cost of chartering the SpaceX flight.
This splashdown marks the first time humans have returned from space to the Pacific Ocean since 1975, when three NASA astronauts from the Apollo-Soyuz mission concluded their international cooperation flight with the Soviet Union.
