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Crypto Billionaire to Lead Mars Mission
28 May
Summary
- SpaceX plans a private crewed mission around Mars using Starship.
- Chun Wang, a crypto billionaire, will lead the mission.
- The mission aims for a lunar flyby before the Mars journey.
SpaceX is preparing for a pioneering private crewed mission around Mars, with cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang selected to lead the voyage. This ambitious plan utilizes the company's Starship rocket, which is still undergoing test flights. The mission aims to fly around Mars without landing, marking a significant step in human interplanetary spaceflight.
Prior to the Mars flyby, the crew will undertake a lunar flyby. SpaceX intends for this lunar mission to be closer to the surface than NASA's Artemis II. Chun Wang, known for financing the Fram2 polar mission in April 2025, brings prior spaceflight experience to this new role. He built his fortune through Bitcoin mining and is based in Malta.
While SpaceX has not provided a specific launch date for either the lunar or Mars missions, the Starship rocket's development is ongoing. NASA also has plans involving Starship for its Artemis moon landings, with potential tests in 2027 and landings targeted for 2028. Elon Musk's long-held vision of making humanity an interplanetary species remains a core objective for SpaceX.
