Bitcoin pioneer Chun Wang will command SpaceX’s first mission over Earth’s polar regions

Chun Wang, co-founder of Bitcoin mining pool f2pool and a well-known figure in the Bitcoin community, is set to command SpaceX’s first human spaceflight mission to explore Earth’s polar regions from orbit. Wang, who started mining Bitcoin back in 2011, said he had been eagerly preparing for this mission for the past 2.5 years and was involved in every aspect of the mission, from initial proposal and planning to trajectory design and selection the crew.

“Named after the ship that helped explorers first reach Earth’s Arctic and Antarctic regions, Fram2 will be commanded by Chun Wang, an entrepreneur and adventurer from Malta,” SpaceX announced. “Wang aims to use the mission to highlight the crew’s spirit of exploration, bring a sense of wonder and curiosity to the general public, and highlight how technology can help push the limits of Earth exploration and mission research.”

Fram2 will become the first human spaceflight mission to fly over and explore Earth’s polar regions from orbit. Learn more about @framonauts mission here → https://t.co/3InB5ybsIx pic.twitter.com/rZ2PCw0GlX

– SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 12, 2024

“This mission represents a new chapter in space exploration,” Wang said. “I’ve read many sci-fi stories about the first human missions to Mars, usually led by NASA or a fictitious government. Rarely does anyone dare to imagine that such a mission can be accomplished privately. But now, I believe more and more that one day we will get to Mars – and it may be a person, or a company, not a nation, that gets there.”

Let me quote Steve Jobs’ original 2007 iPhone announcement: “This is a day I’ve been looking forward to for two and a half years. Every once in a while, a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything.”

Yes, I was looking forward to this mission…

— Chun (@satofishi) August 13, 2024

Joining Wang on this mission is an international team of adventurers, including Norway’s Jannicke Mikkelsen, Australia’s Eric Philips and Germany’s Rabea Rogge. Over the course of 3 to 5 days, the crew will observe the polar regions from Dragon’s dome at an altitude of 425 to 450 km. They will study phenomena such as auroras and unusual light emissions known as STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement) and conduct a variety of research to better understand the effects of spaceflight on the human body, to gain insights into space physics and atmospheric science. .