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Bitcoin billionaire Chun Wang funds SpaceX’s first polar orbit crewed mission, showcasing crypto’s growing role in space innovation.
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Fram2 becomes the first all-civilian, astronaut-free mission to orbit both poles—blending science, space, and blockchain ambition.
As anticipated in CNF’s 2023 post, Bitcoin Will Fly with Elon Musk and SpaceX to the Moon, SpaceX has officially launched its first-ever crewed mission to orbit both the North and South Poles.
The mission, named Fram2, lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10 p.m. ET on March 31, 2025. This groundbreaking flight is funded and led by Chun Wang, a Malta-based cryptocurrency entrepreneur and founder of the Bitcoin mining pool F2Pool, according to a report by the New York Post.
As shared in a tweet by Space.com, Fram2 is the first crewed spaceflight to orbit Earth over its poles.
SpaceX launched the Fram2 astronaut mission today (March 31), the first-ever crewed spaceflight to orbit Earth over its poles. https://t.co/v2OMuVt4cc
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) April 1, 2025
The mission’s diverse crew includes three individuals Wang met during previous polar expeditions: Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Mikkelsen, who is serving as the vehicle commander; German robotics researcher Rabea Rogge, the mission pilot; and Australian explorer Eric Philips, acting as the medical officer.
Remarkably, none of the crew members have prior spaceflight experience, making this the first all-civilian mission of its kind without a licensed pilot or professional astronaut on board.
Fram2’s flight path is designed to reach a true 90-degree inclination, allowing the spacecraft to pass directly over both of Earth’s poles. While polar orbits are typically used by satellites for Earth observation, this marks the first time a human crew will undertake such a route. The mission opens up new vantage points for scientific observation and data collection that were previously unexplored by crewed missions.
Bitcoin’s Influence Reaches New Heights and Its Current Market Performance
Chun Wang’s leadership and financial backing of the mission underscore the growing influence of the cryptocurrency world in frontier exploration.
As the founder of F2Pool, one of the largest Bitcoin mining pools globally, Wang’s investment in Fram2 reflects a broader trend of Bitcoin entrepreneurs playing an active role in pushing the boundaries of innovation well beyond financial markets.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at approximately $83,024, marking a 1.12% increase over the past 24 hours, but still reflecting a 4.28% decline over the past week, according to CoinMarketCap.
The intersection of blockchain wealth and space exploration continues to expand, suggesting a new frontier not only in orbit but in the influence of decentralized finance.
