Yan Hongsen, a young internet sensation, has just dropped his latest video featuring 600 lines of code that he wrote for his rocket’s flight control system. The video quickly went viral, captivating audiences worldwide with his remarkable talent and ambition.

The 440,000 followers of “rocket boy” have been watching the inspiring and aspiring aerospace engineer over the past couple of years, according to The Star. Starting in August 2022, Hongsen built his first rocket in ten months.

In June 2023, he launched his inaugural rocket, which was named Sen Xing, meaning “moving forward.” However, it malfunctioned after launch, as the parachute didn’t open once the booster separated from the rocket. As a true scientist in the making, however, he simply set out to learn and try again.

He recently updated his followers on his progress, revealing that he has written 600 lines of code in addition to self-studying physics and chemistry. He hopes to launch his next rocket soon and eventually become an aerospace engineer.

Yan Hongsen’s launch to fame

Yan Hongsen’s rise to fame began at the age of four when his father took him to a rocket launch, sparking the genius within him, according to The Global Times. Since then, he has learned programming languages, physical chemistry, aerospace theory, and electronic circuitry online.

At nine, he catapulted to internet fame when he publicly corrected errors in an astronomy video presented by a planetarium in Lhasa, as reported by the South China Morning Post. At the time, he was photographed at a computer with a microphone and mouse, as he was also teaching aerospace to his classmates at just nine years old.

Gaining the admiration of countless followers, he embarked on building his own rocket, with half a million people watching, in his living room that his parents transformed into a rocket research studio to support his dreams, as per Car Green.

Despite the malfunction, his first rocket was still considered a success by his father, as setbacks happen even to the best aerospace engineers. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 recently experienced a problem and had to delay its launch, and NASA had to reprogram Voyager 1 from billions of miles away. The eleven-year-old demonstrated the right mindset by identifying the problem and returning to work, according to the South China Morning Post.

“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, as reported by The Star.

The future for the rocket and wiz kid

On China’s X-like platform, Weibo, his followers overwhelmingly support the child’s exceptional skills. And Yan Hongsen did not disappoint them when he released his latest video of the 600 lines of code he’s written for his second rocket. Interestingly, he plans to launch the rocket soon, although the exact date is unspecified.

Currently, according to Global Times, Hongsen divides his time between eating, sleeping, swimming, and studying. Additionally, he builds rockets, as his goal is to send them into space. His father mentioned, via The Star that the young prodigy wants to get into one of China’s seven prestigious civilian defense universities.

“His parents are remarkable for unconditionally supporting their child’s dreams,” commented one of Hongsen’s followers on Weibo. Another said, as per Car Green, that “he must be the youngest person to build a rocket in China.”