SpaceX Announces Crewed Mission to Mars with Cryptocurrency Billionaire at Helm

SpaceX, the private space exploration company founded by billionaire Elon Musk, has announced plans to send a crewed mission to Mars. The mission, which is expected to be a historic first for interplanetary spaceflight, will involve a flyby of the moon before heading to the red planet.

The mission will be led by cryptocurrency billionaire Chun Wang, who has previously led private spaceflights in 2025. Wang's company is financing the mission and he will serve as mission commander. The crewed interplanetary spaceflight is expected to take around two years to complete.

SpaceX plans to use its Starship rocket for both missions. The Starship, which is currently being tested at SpaceX's Starbase headquarters in Texas, has undergone 12 test flights since 2023 and has yet to reach orbit. However, the company hopes to demonstrate the capability of refueling mid-flight with the new design of the rocket.

The lunar flyby mission will be a key step towards the Mars mission, which is expected to take place in the near future. SpaceX has not announced a specific launch date for either mission, but has stated that it is working towards building a self-growing city on the moon in the next decade.