Chun Wang, a Maltese citizen since 2023, is set to become the first person from Malta to travel to space. The 42-year-old, originally from China, will command a four-person space capsule as part of Elon Musk’s SpaceX programme. The mission is scheduled for late March.
Wang, who was born in Tianjen, had not travelled beyond his hometown until his early 20s. He later built a career as a crypto entrepreneur. The upcoming mission will see him and his crew circle the earth from north to south, making them the first to fly directly over the planet’s polar regions.
Read also: 6 African countries dominating the satellite space.
Wang became a Maltese citizen in August 2023 through the golden visa scheme. He first visited Malta in 2018 and applied for citizenship in 2020. He moved to Malta from South Korea before eventually obtaining his passport. Wang stated that he feels happy every time he lands in Malta. He was in the country when he first contacted SpaceX to explore the possibility of purchasing a spaceflight ticket. Instead of securing a single seat, he commissioned an entire four-person flight, which experts estimate could cost over $55 million per seat.
The mission, named Fram2, is the third-ever civilian-manned spaceflight, following Inspiration4 in 2021 and Polaris Dawn in 2023. This will be the first time non-Americans participate in a civilian spaceflight. Wang will be joined by crew members from Norway, Germany and Australia. The team has undergone two months of training at SpaceX headquarters in California, following the same preparation as NASA astronauts.
Read also: What to know about the biggest flying object ever made – SpaceX Starshi.p
The crew will travel in a spacecraft measuring 10 cubic metres, comparable to the size of two SUVs combined. They will launch from SpaceX’s launch pad 39A in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the same site used by Apollo 11. Once in orbit, they will reach the South Pole within 30 minutes. The team will complete a full orbit in 93 minutes, travelling at speeds of up to 7.8 km per second. Wang explained that they expect to complete around 55 orbits in three and a half days, with the possibility of extending the mission beyond five days if necessary.
Fram2 will conduct studies on the Earth’s polar regions, adopting an unusual flight path from pole to pole. Previous missions have followed an east-to-west trajectory. Wang highlighted that this will be the first flight of its kind. He and his team aim to contribute to the future of space travel, describing themselves as pioneers of commercial spaceflight. Wang stated that his goal is to make space travel economically sustainable and expressed his ambition for humans to travel to Mars.
Read also: Elon Musk’s predictions on the top 5 safest careers in the next 10 years.
Wang’s journey to space follows his rise in the cryptocurrency industry. He remained in China for much of his early life, with his first trip abroad occurring after his 28th birthday. He initially worked in software programming but discovered Bitcoin in 2011. He borrowed $40,000 from his father, a small business owner, and invested in early cryptocurrency ventures. Wang recalled experiencing financial losses in the initial months.
However, by 2013, he had made significant gains, co-founding F2Pool, one of China’s first Bitcoin mining platforms. F2Pool quickly became one of the largest Bitcoin platforms in the world. He later launched Stakefish, another crypto venture, in 2018.
Although his net worth remains undisclosed, estimates suggest Wang holds Bitcoin assets worth over $300 million. He now spends much of his time travelling and documents his journeys on X. Wang stated that he has visited 128 countries or independent territories and plans to continue exploring more destinations.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
