Chinese-born Maltese entrepreneur Chun Wang, founder of the Bitcoin mining pool F2Pool, has purchased and will join SpaceX‘s first planned interplanetary mission to Mars. The two-year mission will fly by Mars and return to Earth, following a separate weeklong commercial spaceflight Wang has also booked around the moon. Wang stated he hopes his investment ensures Mars exploration remains a priority for this generation.
Chun Wang, the founder of major Bitcoin mining pool F2Pool, is funding and joining SpaceX‘s inaugural Mars mission. SpaceX announced the mission will explore beyond the moon, fly by Mars, and return over two years.
Wang has also purchased a ticket for a planned weeklong commercial spaceflight around the moon launching before the Mars mission. He explained his rationale in a post on X.
“I believe that even without private investment in lunar flights, we will still reach the Moon, and likely very soon,” Wang stated. “On the other hand, I have no confidence that Mars will still happen within our lifetime.”
“I hope that by purchasing a flyby mission to Mars, SpaceX will have another reason not to forget about Mars,” he added. He wants to demonstrate Mars is a tangible destination for human travel.
Wang joins other tech entrepreneurs like Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson in funding private space travel. SpaceX states Starship cargo flights to Mars could begin no earlier than 2028.
The company’s ultimate goal is establishing a self-sufficient city on Mars. This endeavor is projected to require over 1 million people and millions of tons of cargo.
Wang founded F2Pool in 2013, and it is now the third-largest mining pool. It commands a market share of over 11.85%, according to mempool.space data.
Last April, Wang bankrolled and commanded the “Fram2” mission with SpaceX. That flight carried out experiments like taking an X-ray in space and growing mushrooms.
