Key Highlights
- Chun Wang, co-founder of F2Pool, designated as Mission Commander for SpaceX’s inaugural commercial crewed Mars expedition.
- The ambitious voyage spans two years, featuring both lunar and Martian flybys en route back to Earth.
- Wang oversees approximately 11.3–11.5% of the worldwide Bitcoin mining hashrate and possesses roughly $300 million in personal Bitcoin assets.
- For the first time, SpaceX disclosed ownership of 8,285 Bitcoin and submitted confidential IPO documentation aiming for a $1.75 trillion market valuation.
- Wang’s space credentials include commanding Fram2, SpaceX’s maiden crewed polar orbital flight, completed in 2025.
Chun Wang, the cryptocurrency mining entrepreneur behind F2Pool, has been selected to lead SpaceX’s historic first crewed expedition to Mars—an unprecedented two-year odyssey through deep space scheduled to depart in 2026.
The aerospace company unveiled Thursday that Wang will pilot its Starship vehicle on an extraordinary voyage extending past the Earth-Moon orbital system, performing a close Martian approach before returning home.
A Chinese-born entrepreneur with Maltese-Kittitian citizenship, Wang established F2Pool alongside Shixing Mao in 2013. Today, the mining operation manages roughly 11.3% to 11.5% of Bitcoin’s worldwide computational power. Wang’s private cryptocurrency portfolio reportedly exceeds $300 million in value.
Prior to his Martian expedition, Wang is scheduled to participate in SpaceX’s debut commercial lunar flyby mission aboard Starship—a week-long adventure that will bring him approximately 125 miles from the Moon’s surface, traveling with Dennis and Akiko Tito.
This won’t mark Wang’s inaugural space experience. He previously commanded the Fram2 mission in 2025, which represented SpaceX’s pioneering crewed flight into polar orbit.
An Epic 24-Month Space Odyssey
The Martian expedition will extend across a full two-year timeframe. Crew members will venture beyond the gravitational sphere of the Earth-Moon system, execute a high-altitude flyby of Mars, and navigate an intricate trajectory for their terrestrial return.
The mission will deploy SpaceX’s advanced Starship V3 platform. This enhanced vehicle incorporates vacuum-insulated header feed systems, sophisticated high-voltage cryogenic circulation technology, and 60 specialized avionics modules designed to process up to 9 megawatts of maximum electrical load.
The astronauts will confront substantial dangers throughout their journey. Challenges encompass equipment degradation, deep-space cryogenic propellant management, and prolonged radiation exposure spanning 24 months.
Wang’s team bears responsibility for gathering vital biomedical information. Their research agenda encompasses behavioral health monitoring and producing humanity’s first X-ray imagery captured in zero-gravity conditions.
This scientific data will enable SpaceX to refine Starship technology for quick turnaround capabilities and architect subsequent missions. Elon Musk’s ultimate vision involves relocating up to one million humans to the Martian surface.
“After we come back from Mars, we will have the opportunity to take some real photos, especially of Mars,” Wang said in a SpaceX video. “Mars will no longer be a distant place. It will become reality.”
SpaceX Reveals Bitcoin Portfolio and Pursues Record-Breaking IPO
The Mars mission revelation coincides with significant corporate developments at SpaceX. The organization has submitted confidential IPO paperwork pursuing an unprecedented valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion, positioning it as the largest public offering in financial history.
Simultaneously, SpaceX made its first public acknowledgment of cryptocurrency assets. The company currently maintains 8,285 Bitcoin in its treasury.
Since 2020, SpaceX has successfully transported 78 astronauts to orbit and back across 20 separate missions. Seven of these flights were privately funded or commercial astronaut expeditions.
Neither the lunar nor Martian mission has received confirmed launch dates at this time.
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