The Space Billionaire You’ve Never Heard Of: Chun Wang
Chun and Fram2
On 31 March 2025, a privately funded space mission called Fram2 will lift off from Florida and head into polar orbit. Over the course of a few days, Chun Wang and his fellow crew members plan to become the very first humans to circle Earth in an orbit that passes directly over both the North and South Poles - an extraordinary feat that has surprisingly slipped under the media’s radar.
Like other private orbital missions (for example, Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn), Fram2 is backed by a single visionary. However, unlike those high-profile flights, Fram2 has attracted far less public attention, despite its ambitious goal. I believe it's time the world took a closer look at Chun Wang and why this self-made billionaire deserves more recognition and support.
Chun's Background
The Crypto Pioneer
Despite keeping a low profile in the mainstream press, Chun Wang has been a towering figure in crypto for over a decade. He co-founded F2Pool, once the largest mining pool for Bitcoin, a massive contributor to the network’s security and a key player during Bitcoin’s expansion years. Later, as the blockchain world shifted toward newer consensus methods, Chun launched StakeFish, now a leading Proof-of-Stake validator that secures networks such as Ethereum and EigenLayer. So, in other words, if you have ever used cryptocurrencies in some form or another, you have benefitted from the infrastructure Chun helped create.
A Global Traveler
Beyond crypto, Chun has another impressive dimension: a travel record that would make even the most seasoned explorers take note. He’s visited 135 out of 249 recognized countries, that’s around 54% of the world. He’s also counted every flight he has ever taken, 999 and counting. The upcoming Fram2 launch will be his 1000th flight, taking him from the remote corners of Earth right up into low Earth orbit. For Chun, this is not simply a bucket-list item; it’s the natural culmination of a life spent pushing boundaries and seeking adventure.
A Radical Visionary
In interviews, Chun Wang has ideas that put him far ahead of mainstream thinking. One of the more daring is his belief that humanity’s future requires a cryptocurrency that functions seamlessly between Earth and Mars. Rather than think of blockchains as strictly local systems, he envisions a chain that periodically syncs across planets, ensuring a decentralized ledger even when communication between the two worlds is delayed by up to tens of minutes or more.
Why I Think He’s Admirable
A True Global Citizen
Naval says your first IQ test is to evaluate, "do you want to stay where you were born?".
Chun Wang literally has no fixed national allegiance - he was born in China, but he holds represents Malta for the Fram2 mission. However he identifies primarily as someone who can live and work anywhere. He’s settled in Thailand, before moving on to remote locations like the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. He's the truest representation of what a global citizen is. Instead of rooting himself in one country or culture, he’s embraced a borderless lifestyle that mirrors the ethos of decentralized systems he helped build.
Investing in Something Bigger
Too often, ultra-wealthy individuals direct their resources into conventional status symbols: private jets, mansions, and supercars. They want to buy symbols to show that they are a bigger monkey compared to the other monkeys, certified by another monkey. Chun transcends this - he pours his fortune into advancing spaceflight, technology, and research, quietly bankrolling a mission that not only pushes the envelope in private orbital travel but also paves the way for others to follow. Rather than collecting expensive toys, he invests in the expansion of human frontiers, which is something many dream of, but few actually have the will or vision to fund. Let me be clear, we have no shortage of rich people in this world. What we do have, is a shortage of people with enough courage to exercise their will.
Letting Results Speak for Themselves
Chun isn’t on a PR offensive for Fram2. He’s not plastered on late-night interviews or launching splashy social media campaigns. Fram2 only has 5000 followers on X at the time of writing. Posts about morning routines and Ghibli AI pictures get more engagement than the mission. Despite orchestrating a polar orbit mission that no one else has even attempted, his name rarely surfaces in the same breath as, say, Jared Isaacman. That’s because he simply doesn’t seek the spotlight. His quiet confidence and willingness to work behind the scenes are precisely why he deserves more recognition.
When the rocket carrying Fram2 rises from its launch pad on 31st March, Chun Wang will reach his 1000th flight. Yet this milestone is just one small piece of a larger picture, I'm sure. I am personally looking forward to what his next move would be. For someone so quietly groundbreaking, a little more recognition is long overdue.