In recognition of his groundbreaking early work in maritime engineering, Huai-Pu Chen was accorded a rare international honor by MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory: having a minor planet officially named after him. Located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the asteroid 15554 Chenhuaipu orbits the sun as a permanent testament to his scientific contributions. Today, this cosmic connection carries a profound irony and destiny—as a celestial navigator who traverses the world’s wildest oceans without electronic instruments, Chen relies on the very stars and celestial mechanics of the universe to guide his course, navigating by the same sky that holds his name.

Over two years, he worked as an celestial navigator whose fieldwork spans over 720 days at sea and more than 20,000 kilometers sailed across the world’s oceans through celestial navigation expeditions.

He has been involved in major expeditions, including sailing the 77-foot sailing vessel Vinson of Antarctica from the Falkland Islands to Cape Town—over 8,000 kilometres across the Southern Ocean’s Furious Fifties and Roaring Forties—without GPS, relying solely on celestial navigation.

Attended as a delegate to the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France. Deeply involved in and promoted expert panel discussions on issues such as Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and polar ocean governance.

Obtained the commercially valid RYA Yachtmaster Offshore Master Captain certificate from the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), the world's most authoritative maritime body.

Fulfilling that vision, I embarked on a one-year ocean gap year along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts. I joined the crew of the USCG-registered sailboat Bella Sirena to launch the Climate Change Sailor Missions

In his childhood, he sketched this diagram illustrating his dream and the person he aspired to be.

Selected as one of 18 global youth ocean representatives for the Our Ocean Conference.

During the conference, I had the opportunity to speak with U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, the honorable John Kerry, about my dream.

John Kerry offered profound encouragement, urging me to "sail into the authentic, open sea" so that my resolve and perspective would expand to clearly perceive the world's actual demands for marine development—an exchange that served as the definitive catalyst for my subsequent high-seas expeditions.

I engineered a self-charging fish tracker that harvests kinetic energy from swimming fish—solving a critical, decades-old industry bottleneck where traditional tag batteries lasted only a month. This breakthrough earned me First Place in Engineering at the Taiwan International Science Fair, and Second Place Worldwide in Engineering Mechanics at the prestigious Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), alongside a featured interview in US Science News.

https://www.snexplores.org/blog/eureka-lab/isef-2019-new-fish-tag-runs-on-fish-power

My passion for the sea soon translated into pioneering scientific research. Throughout high school, I dedicated three years to fusing marine science with technological innovation, securing First Place at the National Invention Exhibition and winning the National Marine Energy Competition with a Point Absorber Wave Energy Generator.

At the age of seven, I discovered the passion that would shape my life.

The first time I pulled a massive bonito from the sea, something inside me awakened. From that moment on, I became obsessed with the ocean. Every day, I snorkeled, fished, and explored the coastline, often waking before dawn to fish alone while the world was still asleep.

But the fish were never meant to be eaten. I brought them home alive, turning my room into a small aquarium where I spent countless nights observing marine life in silence.

On certain days, enormous schools of silver fish flooded the harbor, erupting onto the shore when startled. I would dive into the chaos, covered in fish scales, searching for the single rare red bigeye hidden among thousands.

Those childhood moments sparked my lifelong dream of becoming a National Geographic Explorer.