An 80s-Born from Tianjin, Set to Become the First Human on a Journey to Mars
Chun Wang, an 80s-born native of Tianjin, is set to become the first person to journey to Mars. SpaceX recently announced that Wang, co-founder of F2Pool and commander of the Fram2 mission, will travel on Starship for a historic two-year deep-space mission to fly by Mars (without landing) and return to Earth. Prior to this, he will also participate in a week-long commercial crewed mission around the Moon.
Wang's passion for exploration began in childhood. After university, he embarked on extensive travels, eventually visiting every province in China by train and earning the nickname "Thousand High-Speed Rail Man." His interest in technology led him to programming and, in 2011, to Bitcoin. He purchased his first bitcoin at $8.70 and later co-founded F2Pool, one of the world's largest mining pools, in 2013. The success of his cryptocurrency ventures provided the wealth that later funded his ambitious projects.
Having reached both the South and North Poles, Wang sought new frontiers. Inspired by SpaceX's advancements, he conceived and funded the private Fram2 mission in 2025. As mission commander, he led an all-civilian, non-American crew on a unique polar orbit flight aboard a Crew Dragon spacecraft, conducting scientific experiments and capturing unprecedented views of Earth's poles.
Now, his journey continues toward the ultimate destination. From his current location on the remote Bouvet Island near Antarctica, Wang prepares for the next steps: a lunar flyby and humanity's first crewed mission to the vicinity of Mars.
Odaily星球日报05/22 03:58
