In 2025, Sun Yuchen (Justin Sun) will join a lucky Huobi HTX user on a historic journey into commercial space travel. This is not only the first crossover between the crypto 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 finally stood out from fierce competition. Among them are entrepreneurs, financial operators, and ordinary 'brick movers.' Their stories are different, but they all harbor 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 Entrepreneurial Space Dream of the Mars Project
Chris's space dream began with the successful launch of Shenzhou 5 in 2003. At that time, he was still a primary school student and felt the mystery and vastness of the universe for the first time during a school speech on space themes. 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 shocked.
"I thought at that time, I must go to space before I turn 40," Chris recalled. However, the high cost of commercial space travel made the dream seem out of reach. Chris knew that only by succeeding in entrepreneurship could he turn his dream into reality.
The Web3 startup founded by Chris faced challenges like cash flow breakage and hacker attacks, and even nearly employed a programmer from North Korea. However, these crises did not defeat him; instead, they fueled his journey to the stars. Today, his company's valuation has reached $1-2 billion, and the 'Mars Project' has opened new possibilities for his space dream.
"If I really can go to space, I would bring a camera and a pair of headphones to listen to the soundtrack of (Interstellar) in a zero-gravity 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 a Firefighter
"While young, be crazy once; if not now, when I'm old, it will be too late." This simple and direct statement expresses January's original intention to participate in the 'Mars Project.' As a quantitative trader, he is used to looking for opportunities in the financial market, but in life, he loves adventure even more.
January was once a firefighter and participated in many rescue operations. "The tension of putting out fires and saving people, and the sense of accomplishment afterward, is unmatched by any trade," he said. Now, the 'Mars Project' of Huobi HTX excites him: "This is so cool; maybe there will be even more thrilling activities in the future." In his view, Huobi HTX is not just a trading platform but a community that dares to dream.
As a child, he had many whimsical fantasies but still maintains a 'childlike heart.' If he really goes to space, he wants to bring a ruler and take a photo with the caption: 'Give me a fulcrum, and I can really lift the Earth.'
"A day in the sky is a year on Earth," he said with a smile, "In space, time may become different."
Zhang Chuangxiong: A Declaration of Space from Ordinary People
"I want to prove that ordinary people also have the possibility to touch space." Zhang Chuangxiong's self-introduction is simple: "An ordinary practitioner." But his passion for the crypto industry and space exploration is anything but ordinary.
As a child, he fantasized about keeping a tiger for security; now he jokingly 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 no longer to rely on centralized rules. The 'Mars Project' has 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 crypto industry and space exploration is the same; both challenge boundaries and embrace the unknown," he said.
Zhang Gaokui: From Paragliding to Space, the Ultimate Romance of a Financial Person
Zhang Gaokui is a financial practitioner who has led an IPO and has a keen intuition for risks and opportunities. When he saw Huobi HTX's 'Mars Project,' his first reaction was: 'This is the ultimate romance of blockchain! While other platforms are still giving away Teslas, Justin is taking us out of the atmosphere directly.'
He has been curious about the universe since childhood: 'What is Earth's position in the universe? What is outside the universe?' These questions fueled his yearning for space. In life, he loves extreme sports and once flew solo on a paraglider for five hours. 'When I encountered an updraft and was suddenly thrown up a hundred meters, that heart-pounding feeling is more thrilling than any fluctuation in the financial market.'
If he could go to space, he would like 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: protect our blue planet well."
Qiu Jun: From a Star-Chasing Youth to a Veteran of Crypto Rocket Launches
Qiu Jun is a senior crypto practitioner and an astronomy photography enthusiast. Obsessed with the starry sky since childhood, he made rockets and studied fuels with classmates in high school. Although he often caused small accidents, he also planted the dream of looking up at the stars. Now, he has been deeply involved in the Huobi HTX trading platform for ten years, witnessing the industry's ups and downs as a quantitative trader and a firm believer in Web3. After learning about the launch of the 'Mars Project,' he signed up without hesitation, "For an astronomy enthusiast, being able to see Earth and photograph the Milky Way in space is a once-in-a-lifetime ultimate dream."
In Qiu Jun's eyes, Huobi HTX is not just a platform but a partner that dares to dream - "Ten years of companionship, from opening positions to opening ships." The greatest opportunity that 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 realizes consensus," he said. Moving from the chain to space is a metaphor and a reality - it marks the beginning of every believer in the future participating in the narrative and rewriting the rules through action.
Conclusion: The 'Overview Effect' in the Crypto World
In 1968, Apollo 8 astronauts captured the famous 'Earthrise' photo from lunar orbit, marking the first time humanity saw the Earth in its entirety from space. This perspective shift is known as the 'Overview Effect,' which has led countless people to rethink humanity's position in the universe.
Today, commercial space travel offers ordinary people the chance to experience this cognitive shift. In another dimension, Web3 is quietly undergoing a 'boundary-breaking' revolution - it has brought the possibility of asset autonomy to ordinary people for the first time.
Sun Yuchen's 'Mars Project' is not just a marketing activity but a symbol that embodies the spirit of Web3: everyone has the opportunity to chase once-unreachable dreams.
In 2025, Chris, January, Zhang Chuangxiong, Zhang Gaokui, and Qiu Jun, one of them will represent the global crypto community and fly into space. No matter who ultimately becomes that lucky person, their stories have already proven:
In the world of Web3, ordinary people can also touch the stars.
