Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the iconic faces of the Moon‑landing era. Elon Musk’s vision for Mars may feature a very different public figure: Chun Wang, a cryptocurrency billionaire whose wealth stems from Bitcoin mining.
Wang is slated to head a future SpaceX Starship flight that would swing past Mars and then return to Earth. SpaceX has not disclosed a launch window, and the mission remains contingent on Starship demonstrating it can safely transport humans far beyond low‑Earth orbit.
From Apollo legends to billionaire space tourists
Private space travel has already passed its celebrity stage. In April 2025, Blue Origin launched Katy Perry, Gayle King, Lauren Sánchez, Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn and Kerianne Flynn on the NS‑31 New Shepard flight. The all‑female sub‑orbital trip lasted only minutes but captured worldwide attention.
Wang’s planned expedition is far more ambitious than a brief hop to the edge of space. The Mars flyby is expected to take roughly two years, presenting a far tougher challenge for both the passenger and the vehicle. Should SpaceX succeed, Wang could become one of the first humans to journey toward Mars, even without touching down.
Wang is no stranger to private spaceflight. He previously commanded SpaceX’s Fram2 mission, a Crew Dragon flight that took four civilian astronauts over Earth’s polar regions in 2025. That several‑day orbital experience gave Wang real spaceflight credentials before his intended Starship jump. While this background doesn’t diminish the ambition of a Mars flyby, it shows SpaceX isn’t selecting someone with no prior space experience.
Musk’s Mars ambition still hinges on a functional vehicle
Elon Musk has long asserted that SpaceX aims for Mars. Starship is the launch system built for that purpose, but it remains in the testing phase.
SpaceX’s upgraded Starship V3 lifted off on May 22 2026 after an earlier scrub caused by a launch‑tower issue. The uncrewed test reportedly met most objectives, including stage separation and a simulated Starlink satellite deployment, before ending with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean and a dramatic fireball. SpaceX explained the fiery conclusion was intentional, as the company did not intend to recover or reuse the experimental craft.
Since Starship has yet to carry humans, Wang’s Mars mission is still a long way off. For now, the proposal depends on SpaceX proving the rocket can safely ferry people far beyond Earth.