Bitcoin mining pool co-founder Chun Wang launches into Earth's orbit aboard SpaceX Fram2 mission he funded

Chun Wang became the first known bitcoiner to launch into Earth's orbit late Monday onboard the SpaceX Fram2 mission he funded.

The Elon Musk-led astronautics company confirmed a Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the reusable Dragon Resilience spacecraft into polar orbit from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 9:46 p.m. ET on Monday. The four-person all-civilian Fram2 crew become the first humans to enter polar orbit and view Earth's poles from space, traveling at a speed of 27,589 km/h at an altitude of 435 km.

"Today, we become the 681st humans to fly above the Kármán line, and the 626th to orbit the Earth," Wang posted to X, noting that the flight marked his 1,000th flight of all time — continuing his habit of sequentially logging all of his travel journeys.

From Bitcoin miner to SpaceX Mission Commander

Chinese-born Maltese entrepreneur Wang is an early bitcoiner who began mining the cryptocurrency in 2011, going on to co-found Bitcoin mining pool F2Pool, as well as the validator and staking service provider Stakefish for proof-of-stake blockchains. 

Wang is named "Mission Commander" for Fram2, though this is his first time in space. Cinematographer and Vehicle Commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, electrical engineer and Vehicle Pilot Rabea Rogge and polar explorer Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Eric Philips joined him onboard the Dragon Resilience spacecraft. The cost of the mission was not disclosed.

During their multi-day mission, the crew will conduct 22 research experiments designed to help "advance humanity's capabilities for long-duration space exploration and understanding of human health in space," SpaceX stated in its mission objectives. These include taking the first x-ray in space, performing exercise studies to maintain muscle and skeletal mass and growing mushrooms in microgravity. 

Upon their return to Earth, the crew also plans to exit the Dragon spacecraft without additional medical and operational assistance — helping researchers assess the ability of astronauts to perform unassisted functional tasks after time spent in space, the firm added.

Preparations for the mission have been made since it was first announced in August 2024. The four crew members each bring extensive experience in Earth's polar regions to help achieve Fram2's objectives and have received comprehensive training from SpaceX. The mission is named after the Norwegian polar exploration ship Fram, which participated in multiple North and South Pole expeditions from 1893 to 1912. Dragon Endurance was initially chosen for the mission due to its connection to Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic vessel, but it was reassigned to another crew, so Fram2 flew with Dragon Resilience instead.

SpaceX's bitcoin holdings

During a discussion with Block CEO Jack Dorsey and ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood in July 2021, Musk confirmed that the private SpaceX firm held bitcoin on its balance sheet. He added the only public stock he owns is Tesla, but the "three meaningful assets" he owns outside of company stock are bitcoin, ether and dogecoin, and that he owns "much more bitcoin than ether or doge."

In March last year, blockchain analytics platform Arkham claimed to identify Tesla and SpaceX’s Bitcoin addresses, holding nearly 20,000 BTC — worth around $1.7 billion at the current bitcoin price of $84,211.

Arkham believes Tesla currently holds 11,509 BTC across 68 addresses, worth approximately $969 million, and SpaceX 8,285 BTC among 28 addresses, worth around $698 million.