F2Pool co-founder joins SpaceX’s 2-year Mars flyby plan

F2Pool co-founder Chun Wang plans to join SpaceX’s Starship program for a two-year mission that would fly beyond the Earth-Moon system and past Mars.

SpaceX has announced Wang as part of a planned Starship mission that would travel beyond the Earth-Moon system, conduct a Mars flyby, and return to Earth. Universe Today reported that SpaceX described the trip as a two-year round journey, though no launch date has been announced.

Wang said the mission would start with a flyby rather than a landing. He said “It’s going to be a flyby mission of Mars,” adding that such a flight could help build momentum for future missions.

Lunar flight comes before Mars

Before the Mars trip, Wang is expected to join Dennis Tito and Akiko Tito on a planned commercial Starship flight around the Moon. The weeklong mission would pass within about 200 kilometers of the lunar surface, according to the same report.

Wang said the Moon flyby would test new work for Starship. He said “Even though it’s just a flyby,” the mission would attempt several things that have not been done before.

Meanwhile, Wang is not new to private spaceflight. Earlier reports noted that he funded and commanded Fram2, SpaceX’s first crewed mission to fly over Earth’s polar regions. The mission launched in 2025 with Wang, Jannicke Mikkelsen, Rabea Rogge, and Eric Philips aboard Dragon Resilience.

The mission aimed for a 90-degree inclination, sending the crew over both poles. Related coverage said Fram2 carried scientific work linked to human health, space travel, polar auroras, and microgravity.

F2Pool link keeps crypto in the story

Wang co-founded F2Pool in 2013. The pool later became one of the largest Bitcoin mining pools, giving Wang a central place in early Bitcoin mining history.

F2Pool still ranks among the largest Bitcoin mining pools. Hashrate Index data shows F2Pool with about 107.2 EH/s and an 10% Bitcoin mining pool market share, behind Foundry USA and AntPool.

The SpaceX plan now places Wang among the small group of crypto-linked figures using private wealth for human spaceflight. It also adds a new chapter to the link between Bitcoin mining profits and high-risk frontier projects.

For now, the Mars mission remains a plan without a fixed launch date. Starship is still in testing, and long-duration private flights beyond the Moon remain complex. Still, Wang’s role gives the crypto industry a rare connection to SpaceX’s push beyond Earth orbit.