The cryptocurrency billionaire will fly to Mars on a Starship rocket

“It will be a close flyby of Mars. A lot of people talk about Mars. We like Mars and will land on the planet and build a city on it. But first let’s start with a flyby,” Mr. Wang said in SpaceX’s announcement on May 21, just 15 minutes before the expected launch time of Starship V3. However, the launch was rescheduled at the last minute due to a hydraulic latch jam, moved to May 22 (May 23, Hanoi time) and took place successfully.

SpaceX has not determined a specific time for Chun Wang’s flight. The Starship V3 rocket is still in the testing phase and has not even reached Earth orbit. SpaceX and Wang also did not reveal who will join the flight to the red planet.

Dan Huot, SpaceX spokesman, said the flight will be very long and the flight time close to Mars is only about two hours. However, Wang believes he will not be bored and will enjoy the journey. “Even though it’s just a circumnavigation flight, it will test many things that have never been seen before,” the billionaire shared. SpaceX also said that Starship can fly close to the Moon on the way to Mars.

Theo SpaceWang believes his mission can inspire people around the world to pursue their passion for exploring the universe and the red planet. “It will light a fire, ignite imagination and create motivation. We will have the opportunity to take real photos, especially of the red planet. Mars will no longer be a distant place,” he said.

Theo GizmodoWang is the co-founder of F2Pool, one of the first Bitcoin mining organizations in China. After making a fortune from cryptocurrencies, he describes himself as now a “full-time traveler” and became interested in commercial space travel in recent years.

Last year, he served as commander and sponsor of the Fram2 mission, SpaceX’s 17th crewed flight and the sixth for a private customer. During the mission, he and three other civilian astronauts flew around the Earth’s poles for the first time using the Crew Dragon spacecraft. The ship was launched into space by a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy space center on March 31, 2025, then landed in the waters off the coast of California on April 4, 2025.