Key Highlights
- Chun Wang, co-creator of F2Pool, appointed as Mission Commander for SpaceX’s inaugural commercial Mars expedition with human crew.
- The expedition spans 24 months, featuring a lunar pass and Mars approach before Earth return.
- Wang oversees approximately 11.3–11.5% of the worldwide Bitcoin mining hashrate and possesses roughly $300 million in Bitcoin personally.
- For the first time publicly, SpaceX disclosed ownership of 8,285 Bitcoin while confidentially submitting IPO documents aimed at a $1.75 trillion company valuation.
- Wang previously commanded the Fram2 mission, SpaceX’s inaugural polar orbit flight with crew, in 2025.
Chun Wang, the visionary behind F2Pool and prominent Bitcoin mining entrepreneur, has been selected to lead SpaceX’s maiden crewed expedition to the Red Planet—a 24-month odyssey through deep space scheduled for 2026 liftoff.
On Thursday, SpaceX made the formal announcement that Wang will travel aboard the company’s Starship vehicle for an unprecedented voyage extending past the Earth-Moon orbital system, executing a Mars approach, and completing the return journey home.
Wang represents a unique intersection of cryptocurrency and space exploration. Born in China and holding Maltese-Kittitian citizenship, he established F2Pool alongside Shixing Mao back in 2013. Today, his mining operation manages between 11.3% and 11.5% of the entire planetary Bitcoin hashrate. Industry estimates place Wang’s individual Bitcoin portfolio value north of $300 million.
Prior to his Martian adventure, Wang is scheduled to participate in SpaceX’s maiden commercial lunar circumnavigation mission using Starship. This week-long flight will bring him to within approximately 125 miles of the lunar surface, sharing the journey with fellow passengers Dennis and Akiko Tito.
Space travel is already familiar territory for Wang. He commanded the Fram2 expedition in 2025, marking SpaceX’s first polar orbit mission carrying a human crew.
24-Month Expedition Through Deep Space
The Mars expedition represents an extraordinary undertaking spanning two complete years. Crew members will venture beyond the gravitational boundaries of the Earth-Moon system, execute a high-altitude approach to Mars, and navigate an intricate trajectory returning to our home planet.
The journey employs SpaceX’s latest-generation Starship V3 vehicle. This enhanced spacecraft incorporates vacuum-jacketed header feed line technology, sophisticated high-voltage cryogenic recirculation mechanisms, and 60 specially designed avionics units engineered to process peak power loads reaching 9 megawatts.
Significant hazards await the crew throughout the mission duration. Critical challenges encompass mechanical component degradation, cryogenic propellant management across vast distances, and sustained radiation exposure spanning two years.
Beyond exploration, Wang and fellow crew members bear responsibility for gathering vital biomedical information. Their research agenda includes monitoring behavioral health patterns and obtaining humanity’s first X-ray imagery captured in zero-gravity environments.
This scientific data collection serves SpaceX’s broader objectives of refining Starship for quick turnaround operations and architecting subsequent expeditions. Elon Musk envisions ultimately transporting as many as one million individuals to establish Martian civilization.
“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 Discloses Bitcoin Portfolio Alongside IPO Filing
The Mars mission revelation arrives during a particularly dynamic period for SpaceX. The aerospace manufacturer has confidentially submitted initial public offering documentation targeting an unprecedented company valuation exceeding $1.75 trillion, potentially establishing a new record.
Simultaneously, SpaceX made its cryptocurrency holdings public knowledge for the first time. Corporate records show the company maintains 8,285 Bitcoin in its treasury.
Since commencing operations in 2020, SpaceX has successfully transported 78 crew members to and from orbital space throughout 20 separate missions. Among these, seven represented commercial or privately-funded astronaut expeditions.
Neither the lunar circumnavigation nor the Mars expedition currently has confirmed launch windows or specific departure dates.
