Lightning flashed in the distance as storms rolled off shore, yet the launch occurred without delay. Original story: Tonight, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Fram2 crew into an orbit never flown by astronauts − around the North and South Pole.

The international all-civilian Fram2 crew is the first in space history to fly to orbit with no licensed pilot or trained astronaut on board.

This Fram2 mission will send four private astronauts from four different countries into orbit - Chun Wang (Malta), Jannicke Mikkelsen (Norway), Rabea Rogge (Germany), and Eric Phillips (Australia). The mission will take them into low Earth orbit on a trajectory that will pass over both of Earth's polar regions, a first for human spaceflight.