mars

F2Pool co-founder Wang Chun talks about why he chose Mars instead of the Moon as the target for SpaceX's first interstellar manned mission. He believes that even without private investment, humanity will still reach the Moon, and likely very soon. As space competition intensifies, governments around the world will establish lunar bases. I am happy to watch all of this happen.On the other hand, I am still uncertain about the progress of Mars exploration within our lifetime, and I feel that something should be done about it. I hope that by purchasing a ticket for a mission to fly by Mars, SpaceX will have another reason not to forget about Mars. Because we really should not delay Mars exploration for the next generation.Yesterday, SpaceX announced that Wang Chun will participate in SpaceX's first interstellar manned mission as the mission commander, executing a flight lasting about two years: first exploring the outer space of the Earth-Moon system, then flying by Mars and returning to Earth. Before this interstellar mission, Wang Chun will participate in a commercial crewed lunar flyby with Dennis and Akiko Tito, with the planned flight being within 200 kilometers of the lunar surface. This is the first commercial crewed interstellar mission of Starship, and Wang Chun previously commanded the Fram2 polar orbit mission in 2025, gaining experience for this flight.

Web3 asset data platform RootData issued a daily transparency alert on Twitter (X), highlighting the lack of information such as team details, key calendar events, and token data for projects like Mars Protocol, Anvil, Lynex, AstridDAO, and Hatom Labs. It calls on project teams to submit/update their information on RootData to improve their transparency scores. Additionally, RootData stated that it will continue to monitor and expose "black box" projects that lack core information.It is reported that RootData's transparency score is used to measure a project's integrity and timeliness, aiming to reflect the project's information disclosure status, urging project teams to immediately claim their projects. The transparency score is categorized from A to F, with a total of 5 levels from high to low; the lower the score, the more incomplete the project's information disclosure, and the higher the risk of wrongdoing, requiring investors to be highly vigilant.

According to official news, the Cosmos ecosystem lending protocol Mars Protocol has announced that it has completed all withdrawal processes according to governance proposal MRC-165: all liquidation LTVs have been adjusted to 0, and all remaining loan positions have been liquidated. Funds in users' credit accounts and Mars v1 have been directly returned to their wallets.The project team stated that the funds held by Amber will be notified separately through Amber's official channels in the coming days. The Mars official Discord and Telegram will be closed soon, and no further support or updates will be provided. The Mars team stated that this operation marks the formal and orderly end of the protocol.

According to Cointelegraph, M1X Global, behind the Marshall Islands UBI program, has completed a $3 million angel round of financing, with investors including former Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan and Cumberland Labs CEO Tama Churchouse, among other figures in the crypto industry. The funds will be used to promote the expansion of USDM1 digital sovereign bonds into the institutional market.USDM1 was launched on the Stellar blockchain last December, but the IMF has warned that the project carries financial risks and cybersecurity vulnerabilities, believing that its returns are not proportional to its risks.

MarsCat announced the completion of a $3 million financing round. This round was participated in by institutions such as Animoca Brands, Cogitent Ventures, Cryptogram Venture (CGV), TB Ventures, BD Ventures, and Becker Ventures.It is reported that MarsCat is a privacy-first P2P decentralized communication network aimed at achieving seamless interaction between Web3 applications without relying on centralized servers. The project is committed to providing scalable and secure infrastructure to ensure that users can fully retain control over their data.

The Ethereum-based pre-confirmation network Interstate has completed a $1.5 million financing round, with participation from Marshland Capital, Taisu Ventures, Bloccelerate, Alpen Labs, GD1, MH Ventures, Alchemy Ventures, Legends Group, Waikit Lau, Sergey Gorbunov, and others.According to reports, Interstate is a company focused on cryptocurrency development, dedicated to enhancing the user experience of Ethereum by shortening transaction confirmation times.

According to Fortune, the U.S. Marshals Service is under strict scrutiny after its managed federal cryptocurrency wallet was hacked for approximately $24.9 million in 2024. Security researcher ZachXBT reported that the suspect, John Daghita, inadvertently revealed on Telegram that he controlled the stolen funds. More concerning is that John is suspected to be the son of Dean Daghita, CEO of CMDSS, a company that received a $4 million contract from the Marshals Service in 2024 to assist with the sale of cryptocurrency for the U.S. Bitcoin Reserve.The Marshals Service stated that it is investigating the matter but has not yet responded to whether it will continue to cooperate with CMDSS. Previously, when CMDSS received the contract, it faced scrutiny from competitors who claimed the company lacked SEC qualifications and had conflicts of interest, but the Government Accountability Office ruled that the contract was not improper.

According to Cointelegraph citing Politico, U.S. Republican Senator Roger Marshall has agreed not to push for an amendment regarding credit card fees that he proposed during the Senate Agriculture Committee's review of a key cryptocurrency bill next week.The amendment aims to force businesses to compete on swipe fees, but the White House believes this move could jeopardize the advancement of the entire crypto bill, thus intervening to coordinate. The Senate Agriculture Committee was originally scheduled to review the market structure bill this Thursday, but it has been postponed to February 3 due to a winter storm sweeping across many parts of the U.S. The bill aims to clarify the regulatory responsibilities of financial regulatory agencies over the cryptocurrency industry, but the review process has been delayed multiple times as bipartisan committees attempt to garner cross-party support.

According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Marshals Service is investigating a theft case involving over $40 million in seized cryptocurrency.Blockchain investigator ZachXBT accused John "Lick" Daghita, the son of CMDSS, a service provider for the Department of Defense and the Department of Justice, of stealing these assets from a government crypto wallet managed by his father's company. ZachXBT stated that he has confirmed at least $23 million in funds related to approximately $90 million in cryptocurrency seized by the government in 2024 and 2025, and reported it to the authorities last week.The individuals involved accidentally exposed the wallet address they control by recording a video to show off their wealth in a Telegram group chat. ZachXBT confirmed the connection of the funds through on-chain tracking. Brady McCarron, the public affairs director of the U.S. Marshals Service, stated that he could not comment further due to the ongoing investigation.Previous reports indicated that the U.S. Marshals Service might not be fully aware of the specific amount of cryptocurrency assets it controls, and this incident has raised concerns about the transparency of government-held cryptocurrency regulation.

BeatCoin announced the completion of a $5 million strategic funding round, led by Cogitent Ventures and Go2Mars Labs, with participation from Castrum Istanbul, Alpha Capital VC, and several family offices in the Asia-Pacific region.The funds will be used to develop the AI-driven incentive system Beat Points (BP) and the upcoming DEX protocol BeatSwap, aiming to standardize on-chain behavior as credit assets and drive the transformation of Web3 from "airdrop-driven" to "value-driven."

The Marshall Islands distributes a national basic income (ENRA) through Stellar. The government of the Marshall Islands launched the first round of ENRA distribution on November 26, 2025, covering all citizens of the Marshall Islands, with funding sourced from the investment returns of the Compact Trust Fund (capped at 4%). The distribution methods include checks, bank transfers, and blockchain channels (Lomalo digital wallet, supported by Stellar). Additionally, the Stellar Foundation has also led the development of the digital sovereign bond USDM1. USDM1 is pegged 1:1 to short-term U.S. Treasury bonds, denominated in U.S. dollars and redeemable at face value.The national basic income is a mechanism through which the Marshall Islands ensures that national wealth is regularly shared among all citizens via this fund. The program aims to implement universal nationwide distribution for all resident citizens, with no income or employment thresholds, and maintains regular disbursements.

According to CoinDesk, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) has completed the world's first on-chain distribution of Universal Basic Income (UBI) using the digital native sovereign bond USDM1 on the Stellar blockchain.The country's Ministry of Finance confirmed that this multi-million dollar initiative was developed in collaboration with the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) and infrastructure provider Crossmint, as part of the local UBI program ENRA. This program replaces quarterly physical cash distributions with digital transfers, benefiting many eligible citizens living across various islands. USDM1 is a sovereign bond denominated in US dollars, fully backed by short-term U.S. Treasury securities, and distributed through the Stellar issuance platform to a customized digital wallet application called Lomalo.A spokesperson for the Marshall Islands Ministry of Finance stated that USDM1 is issued under New York law, based on established legal frameworks, rather than regulatory discretion or policy preference. The U.S. Treasury collateral is held by an independent trustee, with redemption rights being fixed, unconditional, and legally enforceable. ENRA is a fiscal distribution program, issuing one unit for every one unit in trust short-term U.S. Treasury securities, fully backed and legally isolated throughout the process. The government emphasizes that USDM1 does not compromise the country's monetary or technological sovereignty. A white paper released alongside the initiative outlines its broader policy and financial framework.

According to Bloomberg, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed that Russian intelligence services funded the spy organization of former Wirecard executive Jan Marsalek through a money laundering network that exchanged cash for cryptocurrency.The spy organization consists of six Bulgarian nationals who have been convicted of charges including espionage, monitoring journalists and political figures, and plotting assassination attempts. British police stated that this network posed a serious threat before it was dismantled.The UK's National Crime Agency shut down two Russian money laundering networks nearly a year ago, which had transferred billions of dollars globally. Investigations revealed that one of the networks had attempted to fund the aforementioned spy organization.

ChainCatcher news, according to Bloomberg, Marshall Wace has filed a lawsuit against the cryptocurrency data provider Lukka Inc. to prevent it from advancing a new round of financing, as the investment management company believes that this round of financing would put its two funds at a disadvantage.On Thursday, Delaware Chancery Court Judge Lori Wil approved Marshall Wace's request, deciding to temporarily halt the proposed financing plan during the expedited proceedings of the lawsuit. Previously, in 2022, Marshall Wace's XO Digital Financial Fund and Eureka Fund invested $50 million in Lukka as part of a Series E preferred stock financing in exchange for certain consent rights that could affect investment actions.In the lawsuit, Marshall Wace's investment funds accuse Lukka of violating corporate bylaws, stating that this proposed financing requires their consent, but Lukka's lawyers claim that such consent is not necessary. Additionally, they accuse Lukka of reaching a "pay-to-play" financing scheme that unfairly benefits Liberty City Ventures. If the financing is successful, Marshall Wace's repayment priority in a liquidation event would drop from first to behind three new series of senior preferred stock, making it extremely difficult to obtain compensation.Marshall Wace has expressed a willingness to participate in the financing after terms are modified but was rejected. Lukka's lawyers stated that if the financing is paused, the company would be harmed, as it needs the funds to "continue operations and pay employee salaries."