Summary
- Chun Wang, co-founder of F2Pool, a pioneer in Bitcoin mining pools, is set to lead SpaceX's first private crewed mission to Mars.
- SpaceX has yet to provide a launch date; the Starship has not yet achieved orbit or transported astronauts.
- Prior to the Mars mission, Wang will take part in a separate Starship flight around the moon.
Chun Wang, a co-founder of F2Pool, recognized as one of the earliest Bitcoin mining pools in China, has been chosen by Elon Musk’s SpaceX to lead its first private crewed mission to Mars. The company has not announced when this mission will take place.
This news was revealed during a livestream of the recently canceled Starship V3 launch, just moments before the scheduled liftoff.
Wang remarked in a recorded video from Bouvet Island in the South Atlantic, "Many people discuss the idea of flying to Mars, landing there, and constructing a city. But let’s start with a flyby first."
Wang has prior experience in space travel, having commanded and funded Fram2, a three-day mission in polar orbit aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, where he and his crew were the first to fly over the Earth's poles.
“Space was incredible. I’ve read extensively about it throughout my life, and I just went there to verify,” Wang stated during an interview at Bitcoin 2025. “So, don’t trust, verify. I verified space.”
SpaceX's Starship is a fully reusable super heavy-lift rocket, touted as the largest and most powerful ever constructed, intended to transport crew and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The journey to Mars is projected to take approximately two years, covering vast distances, with the flyby itself lasting only a few hours. Before the Mars mission, Chun will also participate in the initial planned commercial human spaceflight around the Moon.
Despite the lengthy interstellar journey, Wang expressed confidence: "I can observe the map view from takeoff to landing in airplanes, so I believe I will enjoy the trip,” he noted.
Wang's upcoming Mars mission aligns with Musk's broader vision of establishing a human settlement on Mars, with predictions that humans could inhabit the planet within 20 years.
“Mars will no longer be a distant fantasy,” Wang declared. “It will become a reality."
However, as Starship has yet to achieve orbit, the timeline for the Mars mission remains uncertain. In April 2025, Musk indicated that SpaceX aims to send an uncrewed Starship to Mars by the end of 2026, carrying Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots, with human landings anticipated as early as 2029.
The current political climate in the United States has contributed to the momentum for deep space exploration. During his second inaugural address, President Donald Trump referenced a Mars mission as part of America's "manifest destiny."
“We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the stars and stripes on the planet Mars,” Trump stated.