SpaceX is preparing for another major milestone in private spaceflight, and this time the crypto industry has a direct connection. F2Pool co-founder Chun Wang plans to join a future Starship mission that would travel beyond the Earth-Moon system, perform a Mars flyby, and return to Earth in a journey expected to last about two years.
SpaceX Plans Historic Mars Flyby Mission
According to reports, SpaceX recently confirmed Wang as part of a planned Starship mission designed to push human spaceflight farther than ever before. The mission would travel past the Moon, fly near Mars, and then return to Earth without landing on the Red Planet.
Universe Today reported that the round-trip journey could take roughly two years, although the company has not yet announced an official launch date.
Wang explained that the initial goal is a flyby mission rather than a Mars landing. He said the project could help build momentum and technical experience for future deep-space exploration missions.
Lunar Mission Will Come First
Before participating in the Mars flyby mission, Wang is expected to join another commercial SpaceX flight around the Moon alongside Dennis Tito and Akiko Tito.
The weeklong mission would reportedly bring the crew within about 200 kilometers of the lunar surface. Wang described the mission as an important testing opportunity for Starship, noting that several aspects of the flight would involve technology and operational goals that have not been attempted before.
Wang Already Has Private Spaceflight Experience
This will not be Wang’s first journey into space. Earlier reports showed that he funded and commanded Fram2, the first crewed SpaceX mission to fly over Earth’s polar regions.
The mission launched in 2025 aboard Dragon Resilience with Wang, Jannicke Mikkelsen, Rabea Rogge, and Eric Philips as crew members.
Fram2 followed a unique 90-degree orbital inclination that allowed the spacecraft to pass directly over both the North and South Poles. The mission also carried scientific research connected to human health, space travel, polar auroras, and microgravity studies.
F2Pool’s Bitcoin Mining Legacy
Wang co-founded F2Pool in 2013, helping establish one of the earliest and largest Bitcoin mining pools in the industry.
Today, F2Pool still remains one of the biggest mining pools globally. Recent Hashrate Index data shows the platform controls around 107.2 EH/s of hashrate and roughly 10% of the total Bitcoin mining pool market share, ranking behind Foundry USA and AntPool.
The connection between Wang and SpaceX highlights how wealth generated from the crypto industry is increasingly being directed toward large-scale frontier technologies and private space exploration.
Crypto Industry Expands Beyond Finance
Wang’s involvement in SpaceX’s long-duration Mars project adds another example of crypto-linked entrepreneurs moving beyond digital finance into industries like aerospace, artificial intelligence, and advanced infrastructure.
For now, the mission remains in the planning phase as Starship continues its testing program. Long-duration private missions beyond the Moon are still technically complex and carry significant risks.
Even so, Wang’s participation gives the crypto sector a rare and highly visible link to SpaceX’s long-term effort to expand human presence beyond Earth orbit.
