Here's why crypto billionaire Jed McCaleb wants to go to space...

After Mt.Gox founder Jed McCaleb scored big with Ripple and Stellar, he’s diving into his next project.

After MtGox founder Jed McCaleb celebrated big successes with Ripple and Stellar, he’s venturing into his next project. With Vast, he hopes to make life in space possible.

Jed McCaleb has an impressive resume after more than a decade in the crypto space. Now he aims to make space habitation a reality with his new company Vast: People could live and work in space in the future.

Jed McCaleb: Ripple. Mt.Gox and Co.

The 47-year-old kicked off his career early in the crypto world. With Magic: The Gathering Online Exchange he built an online exchange for trading cards. Later, he turned the site into Mt.Gox, the legendary first Bitcoin exchange, which he sold in 2011. McCaleb’s involvement with Ripple is thus notable.

After leaving the company in 2013, he founded the Stellar Development Foundation a few months later. He’s now focused on maintaining Stellar’s codebase, working on scalability, and educating regulators to better understand the space. But McCaleb has bigger plans.

With Vast to the Moon?

According to a recent View post on X from Vast, they’re now developing the first artificial-gravity space station — a fairly ambitious project. They’re also exploring scalable solutions for people to live and work in space. A press release says Vast is “building a world-class engineering team to shape the future of space with support from experienced advisors.” Part of that advisory team is German aerospace engineer Hans Königsmann, a respected spaceflight veteran and former VP at Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

I’ve always believed in using technology to reduce inefficiencies and improve the human condition. To expand human settlements in space, we need to develop technologies that advance sustainability.

Jed McCaleb

According to Ripple’s co-founder, the next step toward innovation is housing. He wants to develop inexpensive stations and artificial gravity with his team of 17 people.

Some initial technical details are available on the site. The site says the Vast space station will be about 100 meters long and will house a group of more than 40 people.

Whether McCaleb will fund the new space project with his crypto billions remains unclear. It’s also uncertain when a completed space station where people can actually live in artificial gravity will be ready. Payment options are also a hot topic: alongside traditional fiat currencies, McCaleb’s Stellar cryptocurrency is likely to play a role.