F2Pool founder Wang Chun buys the first seat to Mars on SpaceX: I will prove that Mars is a place where humans can live and return.

F2Pool Co-Founder Chun Wang Funds and Commands SpaceX Fram2 Polar Mission, Then Takes a Bold Step—Directly "Purchasing" a Seat on SpaceX's First Interstellar Flight.
This two-year journey will fly past Mars and return to Earth, and he has also bought a ticket for a commercial lunar orbit flight.
Wang Chun candidly states: "I am not confident that Mars can be achieved within our lifetime, so I decided to do something."
(Background: F2Pool co-founder Chun Wang to become SpaceX crewed flight commander, explaining "why choose Mars, not the Moon")
(Additional context: SpaceX will execute the "first-ever" crewed polar space mission, with F2Pool co-founder serving as commander)

Table of Contents

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• I Don't Want to Leave Mars to the Next Generation
• From Bitcoin Mining Pool to Interstellar Commander
• The New Space Race Driven by Crypto Wealth

I believe that even without private funding for lunar flights, humanity will eventually reach the Moon—and probably very soon— as competition between the US and China intensifies, governments will turn lunar bases into reality. But for Mars, I lack confidence it can be achieved in my lifetime. So I decided to do something myself.

This statement comes from F2Pool (Fish Pool) co-founder Chun Wang, who wrote a lengthy post on X platform on Friday explaining why he "purchased" a seat on SpaceX's first interstellar mission. SpaceX also officially announced this plan on Thursday: a Starship will undertake a two-year journey, passing by lunar orbit, skimming close to Mars, and ultimately returning to Earth.

According to Wang Chun, he not only bought a seat on this Mars flyby mission but also booked a ticket for a commercial lunar orbit flight scheduled to depart earlier. This entrepreneur, who previously funded and personally commanded SpaceX Fram2's polar mission, is clearly pushing his space ambitions from low Earth orbit toward deep space.

I Don't Want to Leave Mars to the Next Generation

In his post on X, Wang Chun openly shared his motivation: "I would happily watch the Moon mission come true—because the competition among governments will eventually make it happen. But Mars is different. I am not confident it can be achieved within our lifetime. I hope that by purchasing this Mars flyby, I give SpaceX one more reason they can't forget Mars. Because we really shouldn't leave Mars to the next generation."

This statement reflects his deep anxiety about the pace of human space exploration. SpaceX's current official timetable shows that the earliest Starship cargo flights to Mars are not expected until after 2028, for research, development, and exploration missions. The ultimate goal—to establish a self-sustaining city on Mars—requires over a million people and millions of tons of supplies, a vision still quite distant.

From Bitcoin Mining Pool to Interstellar Commander

Wang Chun's story is a prime example of how wealth generated in the cryptocurrency industry is spilling over into space exploration. In 2013, this Maltese-Chinese entrepreneur founded F2Pool (Fish Pool) in China, becoming one of the earliest Bitcoin mining pools domestically. Today, F2Pool remains the third-largest mining pool globally, with a market share exceeding 11.85%.

In April 2025, Wang Chun made his first appearance in the headlines—funding and serving as commander of the Fram2 mission, executed by SpaceX, which completed humanity’s first crewed flight over Earth's North and South Poles. During this mission, the four-person crew not only completed polar orbit flights but also conducted experiments such as X-ray imaging and mushroom cultivation in space. Crew members included German polar scientist Rabea Rogge, Norwegian photographer Jannicke Mikkelsen, and Australian Arctic explorer Eric Philips.

The New Space Race Driven by Crypto Wealth

Wang Chun’s case is just a microcosm of how crypto wealth is spilling over into space exploration. More and more tech entrepreneurs are funding and personally participating in space missions: Amazon founder Jeff Bezos with Blue Origin, Virgin Group co-founder Richard Branson with Virgin Galactic, and U.S. payment company Shift4 Payments founder Jared Isaacman (who commanded the Inspiration4 and Polaris programs) have all left their mark on this track.

What makes Wang Chun unique is his Asian background—born in China, active internationally as a Maltese citizen—making him stand out in this space race dominated by Western tech giants. His journey from Bitcoin mining pool founder to polar commander, and now to buyer of a Mars flyby mission, sketches a radically different path of wealth transformation: crypto-generated wealth fueling a new, decentralized momentum for human space exploration.