Crypto Tycoon Commanding SpaceX's Historic Mars Flyby

Chun Wang, the Chinese-born co-founder of F2Pool, has agreed to command SpaceX's first crewed flyby of Mars. The mission will travel beyond the Earth-Moon system, swing past Mars, and return home. According to Wang, he has purchased seats on two upcoming Starship missions.

No launch date has been set for either trip. Before embarking on this interplanetary attempt, Wang will join a weeklong commercial flight around the Moon with Dennis and Akiko Tito. This lunar trip is expected to pass roughly 125 miles above the surface of the Moon.

Wang's move marks another instance of early crypto founders redirecting capital into adjacent fields such as artificial intelligence, energy, and aerospace. Analysts see this shift as a wider pattern.