Although it was only briefly seen during the live webcast of its launch, the Fram2 mission's zero-gravity indicator was instantly recognizable.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off on Monday night, sending four amateur astronauts on an unprecedented journey around Earth’s poles. The mission is traveling where no crew has gone before, and SpaceX just revealed the first views of the planet’s chilly polar regions from above.

The Fram2 astronauts launched from Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A on a stormy Monday night. Here's what we know about this mysterious mission of firsts.

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.

SpaceX successfully launched private Fram2, the first crewed mission to orbit Earth's North and South poles, on Monday night from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The historic launch is carrying four civilians from four countries on a mission that will last up to five days.

The Fram2 mission will fly astronauts over the North and South poles – a unique trajectory that Houston researchers will use to study space radiation.

Fram2 astronauts were busy over the weekend with preparations for their upcoming SpaceX launch for their mission to orbit Earth’s north and south poles.

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.