The Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen is one of four who will go on a trip into space. The trip will go across the polar regions to Earth, the first space mission of its kind. SpaceX reports this in a press release. Mikkelsen will thus become the first female Norwegian astronaut. And the four will be the first people to travel in polar orbit around the Earth. In 2022, there were over 300 Norwegians who applied for astronaut admission in the European Space Agency (ESA). In total, there were 23,000 applicants from all over the world. But no Norwegian got a place among the 17 who were recently chosen for the prestigious programme. The mission Mikkelsen will be involved in is a so-called commercial flight, and not carried out by ESA. Head of Department for Manned Spaceflight and Exploration at the Norwegian Space Centre, Arvid Bertheau Johannessen, thinks this is very exciting. – It sounds incredibly exciting Head of Department for manned space travel and exploration at the Norwegian Space Centre, Arvid Bertheau Johannessen, says the news came as a surprise to them. – This has probably been worked on for a while, I expect. But a low profile has been kept, he says. Bertheau Johannessen says he does not know Mikkelsen personally, but that he knows who she is. – She has worked on space-related projects before. And she has been responsible for video and film for everything from the rock industry to scientific expeditions, he says. – She has been in contact with us before, but there are probably others who know her better. But I have known her for a long time. According to Bertheau Johannessen, Mikkelsen and the rest of the crew will make observations in connection with some aurora-like phenomena. This will be done in collaboration with the University of Svalbard. – It sounds incredibly exciting. It is the first flight of its kind that goes over the polar regions in that way, he says. Financed by adventurers from Malta The name of the space mission that Mikkelsen will take part in will be “Fram2”, named after the ship that was used to explore the North and South Poles. The space journey will take place during the year. SpaceX is carrying out the trip, but it is financed by Maltese entrepreneur and adventurer Chun Wang. The assignment will last three to five days. Mikkelsen lives in Longyearbyen on Svalbard, where she is a freelancer for news, among other things. She has previously taken part in several different expeditions. In 2019, she helped set a world record, together with Hamish Harding, for the fastest round-the-world flight, called “One More Orbit”. In 2019, Jannicke Mikkelsen helped set a world record for the fastest round-the-world flight, called “One More Orbit”. Photo: Jannicke Mikkelsen Bertheau Johannessen thinks it’s a little too early to say what this project will mean for Norwegian space travel in the long term, but thinks it’s big in itself that a Norwegian is involved in something that hasn’t been done before. – I reckon it will put Norway on the map a bit, he says. – Projects seem inspiring, certainly also for young people in particular, who want to invest in the space industry. We greatly appreciate that there are people who have this type of initiative and make it happen. Over 200 successful launches During the past four years, the American space company Space X has carried out thirteen manned flights into space, the company states. Space X is owned by American billionaire Elon Musk. His plan is to send humans to Mars. Earlier this summer, the rocket that will carry humans to Mars had its most successful test yet. However, the rocket that will be used in the mission Mikkelsen will participate in is the Falcon 9. Space X has carried out over 200 successful launches in a row with the Falcon 9. BURNING: The Starship was on fire on its way down through the atmosphere, but still managed to simulate a soft landing on the sea. Photo: SpaceX Published 13/08/2024, at 08.44 Updated 13.08.2024, at 09.06
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Norwegian Jannicke Mikkelsen is going to space – news Troms and Finnmark
