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Simplifying... Inshort

At just 11 years old, Hongsen has built a rocket and written 600 lines of code, despite a failed first launch due to a parachute malfunction.
Sparking an interest in aerospace at age four, he has since taught himself programming, physical chemistry, and more, even correcting errors in a planetarium's astronomy video.
With his living room turned into a rocket lab and massive support on China's Weibo platform, Hongsen is a young prodigy in the making.

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The "Rocket Boy" is planning to launch his second rocket soon

11-year-old boy builds rocket, pens 600 lines of code

By Akash Pandey

Jul 27, 2024

06:44 pm

What's the story

Yan Hongsen, an 11-year-old internet sensation from China, has written 600 lines of code for his second rocket's flight control system, which he plans to launch soon. Known as "rocket boy" to his 440,000 followers, Hongsen shared his latest achievement in a video that quickly went viral. He began building his first rocket in August 2022 and completed it in 10 months. In June 2023, Hongsen launched his inaugural rocket named Sen Xing, meaning "moving forward."

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First rocket launch encountered parachute malfunction

Hongsen's first launch experienced a malfunction when the parachute failed to open, after the booster separated from the rocket. Despite this setback, he demonstrated resilience by using it as a learning opportunity and vowed to try again.

Prodigy's path

From rocket launch spectator to creator

Hongsen's interest in aerospace was sparked at the age of four during a rocket launch he attended with his father. He has since self-studied programming languages, physical chemistry, aerospace theory, and electronic circuitry online. His internet fame took off at nine years old when he publicly corrected errors in an astronomy video presented by a planetarium in Lhasa, China.

Home lab

Living room transformed into rocket research studio

Hongsen's first attempt at building a rocket took place in his living room, which his parents had transformed into a rocket research studio. Despite the initial launch malfunction, Hongsen's father considered it a success as setbacks are common even among professional aerospace engineers. "The nitrocellulose didn't explode as expected, the spring and lithium battery were also damaged. Maybe there is still an issue with the rocket's body connection," Yan said.

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Massive support on Weibo

Hongsen's followers on Weibo, China's X-like platform, have shown overwhelming support for his exceptional skills. His followers have praised his parents for their unconditional support of their son's dreams, with one commenting, "he must be the youngest person to build a rocket in China."