11-year-old Chinese boy taught himself programming, physics and chemistry to build a rocket

Yan Hongsen, an 11-year-old Chinese boy from Shaoxing, Zhejiang, has taught himself computer programming, physics and chemistry since kindergarten, eventually leading him to be able to build and launch his own rocket. According to his father, who works in the tourism industry, Yan’s passion for rockets and astronomy began at age 4 after he witnessed the Long March-2 liftoff and his interest in building rockets began when he was 8.

First launch: Yan launched his first rocket, named “Sen Xing” or “Moving Forward,” in June 2023. Unfortunately, the rocket sustained damage and crashed after its parachute failed to deploy during separation. Despite this setback, Yan remained composed and undeterred, an attitude his father commended. “For me, although it crashed, the rocket’s first flight was still a success. I was extremely excited and thrilled, while my son remained very calm,” he told the South China Morning Post.
His preparation: To ensure that his next launch goes smoothly, Yan reportedly taught himself programming and wrote 600 lines of code for his new rocket’s flight control system, a step toward his dream of building a rocket for China. Yan’s family have supported his mission by turning their living room into a rocket research area. They also share videos of Yan’s progress on the boy’s Douyin channel, which has over 448,000 followers.

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