Chun Wang
Chun Wang | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Citizenship |
|
| Known for | Cryptocurrency Private astronaut aboard Fram2 |
| Relatives | |
| Space career | |
| Crew Dragon Astronaut | |
Time in space | 3 days, 14 hours and 32 minutes |
| Missions | Fram2 |
Chun Wang (Chinese: 王纯; pinyin: Wáng Chún[1]) is a Chinese-born Maltese cryptocurrency investor and entrepreneur.[2] In 2013, Wang co-founded F2Pool, one of the first Bitcoin mining pools in China and one of the largest globally.[3][4]
Life and career
[edit]Born around 1982,[5] Wang was born in Tianjin, China. He first travelled beyond his hometown in his early 20s, and his first trip abroad he was 28.[6] Dropping out of university, he held several software programming jobs in China.[7] In 2011, he borrowed $40,000 from his father to invest in early cryptocurrency ventures, experiencing financial loss in the first months. He had made gains by 2013, co-founding F2Pool. He launched the crypto venture Stakefish in 2018.[6] For a time, F2Pool was the world's largest bitcoin mining operation.[5]
Private spaceflight
[edit]On March 31 (April 1 UTC), 2025 the Fram2 mission of a Crew Dragon spacecraft was successfully launched. It was the first human flight to go a polar retrograde orbit,[8] i.e., to fly over Earth's poles.[2] The mission lasted 3.5 days, ending on 4 April 2025 at 16:19:28 UTC (9:19:28 a.m. PDT, local time at the landing site). It was the first Pacific splashdown for a Crew Dragon mission.
Fram2 was privately funded and commanded by Wang, and operated by SpaceX with a Crew Dragon spacecraft. In addition to Wang, it flew his all-civilian crew — Jannicke Mikkelsen, Rabea Rogge and Eric Philips. He had conceived the idea of a polar spaceflight in 2023, proposing it to SpaceX. The crew conducted 22 experiments focused on human health and space exploration technology, including the first X-ray in space.[9] A Maltese citizen since August 2023, he became the first person from Malta to travel to space. It was also the first time non-Americans participated in a civilian spaceflight. He and the crew spent two months of training at SpaceX headquarters in California.[6] Wang, outlining a goal to visit every country on earth, scheduled the space trip to be his 1,000th flight.[10]
Personal life
[edit]He moved to Thailand in 2015, then to South Korea. He has been a citizen of Malta[11] since August 2023 and Saint Kitts and Nevis since 2017.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ https://www.zaobao.com.sg/news/world/story20250401-6102962
- ^ a b Foust, Jeff (2024-08-13). "Crypto entrepreneur buys Crew Dragon flight". SpaceNews. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ "ASICs and entrepreneurs: The founding of China's first mining pool". f2pool. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ Harwood, William (2024-08-13). "SpaceX to launch bitcoin entrepreneur and three crewmates on flight around Earth's poles - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ a b "Meet 42-year-old Chun Wang, crypto investor who bought SpaceX flight to circle around Earth". www.telegraphindia.com. The Telegraph India. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ a b c "Chun Wang to become first Maltese citizen in space with historic polar orbit mission". www.businessday.ng. Business Day. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Meet Chun Wang, the first Maltese citizen in space". www.timesofmalta.com. Times of Malta. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ McDowell, Jonathan [@planet4589] (April 1, 2025). "First Space Force orbit data for Fram-2 out , showing it in a 202 x 413 km x 90.01 deg orbit" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "Explorer, filmmaker, scientist, and a Bitcoin investor: Meet the SpaceX Fram2 crew making space history". indiatimes.com. The Economic Times. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ "Bitcoin tycoon Chun Wang blasts off on polar SpaceX flight to achieve world first". www.sky.com. Sky News. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- ^ Sheetz, Michael (2024-08-13). "Crypto magnate buys SpaceX mission for private polar spaceflight expedition". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
- ^ "fram2: First Human Spaceflight To Earth's Polar Regions". f2.com. Retrieved 2025-03-11.