When a group of ordinary people flies to space with Sun Yuchen

In 2025, Justin Sun will join hands with a lucky HTX user to embark on a historic journey in human commercial space exploration. This is not only the first crossover between the encryption industry and space exploration but also a declaration about dreams, adventure, and breaking boundaries.

Since the launch of the "Mars Project" by Huobi HTX, global user enthusiasm has surged, with over ten thousand people eagerly signing up. After multiple rounds of rigorous screening, five candidates ultimately emerged from fierce competition. Among them are entrepreneurs, financial operators, and ordinary "brick movers." Their stories are all different, but they share the same dream – to fly into the vast space.

We interviewed five candidates to hear them share why they long for this space journey and their profound thoughts on Web3, adventure, and the future.

Chris: From Shenzhou 5 to the Entrepreneur's Space Dream of the Mars Program

Chris's space dream began with the successful launch of Shenzhou 5 in 2003. At that time, as a primary school student, he first felt the mystery and vastness of the universe during a space-themed speech at school. In college, he read Frank White's "Overview Effect," which describes the cognitive shift astronauts experience when looking back at Earth from space, leaving him deeply impressed.

"I thought to myself that I must go to space before I turn 40," Chris recalled. However, the high costs of commercial space travel made the dream seem out of reach. Chris knew that only by succeeding in entrepreneurship could he turn that dream into reality.

The Web3 startup founded by Chris once faced a funding chain rupture, hacker attacks, and even almost employed a programmer from North Korea. However, these crises did not defeat him; instead, they became the fuel for his journey to the stars. Today, his company is valued at 1-2 billion dollars, and the "Mars Project" has opened new possibilities for his space dream.

"If I can really go to space, I would take a camera and a pair of headphones to listen to the original soundtrack of 'Interstellar' in a weightless environment," he said. "I want to tell people on Earth: no matter how unrealistic the dream, there will be a day it comes true."

January: From the Fire Scene to Space, the Adventurous Spirit of Firefighters

"Take a chance while you're young, or you'll regret it when you're old." This simple and straightforward statement captures the original intention of participating in the "Mars Project" in January. As a quantitative trader, he is used to seeking opportunities in the financial markets, but in life, he loves adventure even more.

In January, he was a firefighter and participated in multiple rescue operations. "The tension of extinguishing fires and saving lives, and the sense of achievement afterward, is unmatched by any trade," he said. Now, the "Mars Project" of HTX excites him: "It's so cool, there might be even more thrilling activities in the future." In his view, HTX is not just a trading platform, but a community that "dare to dream."

When he was a child, he had many wild fantasies, and he still maintains a "childlike heart" today. If he really went to space, he would want to bring a ruler, take a photo, and caption it: "Give me a lever, and I can really move the Earth."

"A day in the sky is a year on earth." He said with a smile, "In space, time might become different."

Zhang Chuangxiong: The Space Declaration of Ordinary People

"I want to prove that ordinary people also have the possibility to touch space." Zhang Chuangxiong's self-introduction is very simple: "An ordinary practitioner." But his passion for the encryption industry and space exploration is anything but ordinary.

In his childhood, he once fantasized about raising a tiger to gain a sense of security. Now he laughs and says, "A potential coin might be more reliable." Indeed, Web3 has shown him the possibility of asset autonomy—breaking traditional financial barriers, allowing asset ownership and personal value realization to no longer rely on centralized rules. The "Mars Project" has also shown him another possibility: even someone as ordinary as him can participate in space travel, once exclusive to the wealthy and astronauts.

"The core of the encryption industry and space exploration is the same; they both challenge boundaries and embrace the unknown," he said.

Zhang Gaokui: From Paragliding to Space, the Ultimate Romance of Financial Professionals

Zhang Gaokui is a financial professional who has led the company's IPO and has a keen intuition for risks and opportunities. When he saw the "Mars Plan" of Huobi HTX, his first reaction was: "This is the ultimate romance of blockchain! While other platforms are still giving away Teslas, Justin is directly taking us out of the atmosphere."

He has been curious about the universe since he was young: "What position does Earth hold in the universe? What is outside the universe?" These questions filled him with a longing for space. In life, he loves extreme sports and once flew a paraglider alone for 5 hours. "When I encountered an updraft and was suddenly thrown up a hundred meters, that heart-pounding feeling was more thrilling than any fluctuations in the financial markets."

If he could go to space, he would want to bring a plant from Earth to remind humanity of the fragility of our shared home. "Looking back at Earth from space, I want to say: Take good care of our blue planet."

Qiu Jun: From a Star-Chasing Youth to a Veteran of Encryption on a Rocket

Qiu Jun is a seasoned encryption practitioner and an astronomy photography enthusiast. Obsessed with the starry sky since childhood, he and his classmates built rockets and researched fuel during middle school. Although this often led to minor accidents, it also planted the dream of gazing at the stars. Today, he has been deeply involved in the Huobi HTX trading platform for ten years, evolving from an early quantitative trader to a staunch Web3 believer. He has witnessed the ups and downs of the industry while continuously seeking the meaning of freedom amid risks. Upon learning that Huobi HTX launched the "Mars Project," he signed up without hesitation, saying, "For an astronomy enthusiast, being able to see Earth from space and photograph the Milky Way is the ultimate dream of a lifetime."

In Qiu Jun's eyes, Huobi HTX is not just a platform, but more like a partner that dares to think and act - "Ten years of companionship, from opening positions to setting sail." The greatest opportunity Web3 brings to ordinary people is not just asset freedom, but a redefinition of participation, ownership, and collaboration. "Decentralization is not a slogan; it is a new order that replaces authority and achieves consensus." He said that moving from the chain to space is a metaphor, but also a reality - it is the beginning for everyone who believes in the future to participate in the narrative and rewrite the rules through action.

Conclusion: The "Overview Effect" of the encryption world

In 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts captured the famous "Earthrise" photo while orbiting the Moon, marking the first time humanity saw the Earth in its entirety from space. This shift in perspective, known as the "Overview Effect," prompted countless individuals to rethink humanity's place in the universe.

Today, commercial space travel offers ordinary people the opportunity to experience this cognitive shift. In another dimension, Web3 is quietly undergoing a "borderless" revolution – it gives ordinary people the possibility of wealth autonomy for the first time.

Sun Yuchen's "Mars Project" is not just a marketing campaign, but a symbol that embodies the spirit of Web3: everyone has the opportunity to chase dreams that were once out of reach.

In 2025, Chris, January, Zhang Chuangxiong, Zhang Gaokui, and Qiu Jun, one of them will represent the global encryption community and fly into space. No matter who ultimately becomes that lucky one, their story has already proven:

In the world of Web3, ordinary people can also touch the stars.