F2Pool co-founder Chun Wang will be part of the four-passanger crew that will travel into space on Monday.
The four-day mission, which has been dubbed "Fram2," will be a historic one. This will be the very first human spaceflight to fly over and explore the Earth's poles.
Fram 2 has been funded by Wang, who has accumulated vast wealth because of his early involvement in the cryptocurrency industry. The Chinese-born entrepreneur, who is currently a citizen of Malta, personally mined thousands of Bitcoins within two years during the cryptocurrency's early days. It is not clear how much Wang shelled out for the historic crewed mission.
The four first-time astronauts will travel aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule that will lift off from Florida at 9:46 p.m. ET. The hardware appeared on the launch pad earlier this week.
Godfrey BenjaminThe mission is expected to last from three to four days. Its goal is to make it less challenging for humans to engage in long-range space exploration. The crew will conduct some important research, which includes capturing the very first medical X-ray of the human body in space in order to gain a better understanding of how microgravity affects bone density. It will also attempt to grow mushrooms in space for the very first time. Overall, the crew will conduct more than 20 exciting science experiments.
Wang is known as an avid globetrotter who has already visited more than 130 countries. Now, he is set to become the first Maltese astronaut in history.
Vladislav Sopov
Dan Burgin