For the first time in history, A private Ethereum-based blockchain will be used to test the effectiveness of communications and data exchange between satellites in orbit.
The innovative project is designed by researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at the Villanova University, located in Pennsylvania, United States, in conjunction with the non-profit organization, Teachers in Space Inc. Both develop a private blockchain based on Ethereum, which is intended to test the effectiveness of the technology blockchain for communications and data exchange between satellites.
As reported by the release, the engineering professor, Hasshi Sudler, will be primarily responsible for running the tests, with the help of Alejandro Gomez, a graduate student of this faculty. The tests will be developed directly in space, using a microsatellite that will have everything necessary to run a modified Ethereum node using the Ethereum consensus protocol. Proof of Authority (PoA), on which all tests will be performed.
“This will be Villanova’s first experiment launched into space; it will also be the first test of a consensus protocol known as Proof of Authority (PoA) in this environment.”
If the tests are successful, the blockchain will allow transactions to request, transfer and receive data securely and reliably between satellites, which will be carried out in a similar way to "a postal delivery," says Sudler. In addition, the engineering professor also affirms that the success of these tests will pave the way for the construction of space commerce.
Learn with Bit2Me Academy: What is PoA (Proof of Authority)?
Serenity, the satellite for the blockchain network
The rocket Firefly Aerospace will carry a satellite, called > , which incorporates a microcomputer Raspberry Pi running a modified Ethereum node, which will use the PoA consensus protocol, in a system that has been designed by Villanova University. In addition, the Serenity satellite will also integrate a set of sensors for data collection between various space satellites in orbit. The microsatellite, which uses the well-known CubeSat format, will have a mass of 2,6 kg and will be the size of 3U CubeSats (a cube about 34 cm long and 10 cm wide).
Teachers in Space Inc. is the organization responsible for developing the Serenity satellite and ensuring its flight on the Firefly Aerospace launch rocket. The rocket is scheduled to launch on November 20 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, United States.
The University also reports that this will be the first independent orbital satellite mission for the Teachers in Space organization, as well as representing a unique opportunity for Villanova University to conduct pioneering blockchain technology experiments on a satellite. Serenity will remain in low-Earth orbit for approximately 30 days, with controlled blockchain experiments taking place for the first 15 days.
A limited team
For the execution of the tests from the Serenity satellite, Villanova University will provide access to a team of 10 people with knowledge and experience in the use and management of blockchain networks. This team will be selected by the University and will be responsible for measuring the performance of transactions under heavier traffic loads. The University also explains that in the second half of the test period, the team of experts and the University will be dedicated to carrying out test transactions between the ground station and the satellite.
The data uploaded for the test transactions will be various files, such as texts and images of different sizes, to create different loads within the blockchain network. The tests will also include smart contracts or smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain, so transactions will also be able to interact with these contracts: all test transactions that are made will be recorded within the private blockchain.
Facing new challenges
As the project's leaders, Sudler and Gomez, explain, developing tests on a blockchain network between several satellites, traveling quickly in different orbits, can represent a major challenge for synchronizing the satellites and carrying out data transactions. Therefore, the experts intend to measure and monitor the performance of the blockchain and the impact of high traffic within the network.
“Momentary visibility between satellites, as well as with a ground station, can present challenges to fully synchronize and secure new transactions on the blockchain in a timely manner.”
This is one of the problems in question that this experiment seeks to solve, since by achieving this, it would enable the capacity to launch networks of satellites that communicate with each other without intervention and in a decentralized way, maintaining node synchronization and network homogeneity at all times. At this point, this first experiment of the University seeks to have a first contact with technology and open the doors to new advances.
2.800 artificial satellites in orbit
According to a study by Professor Hasshi Sudler, there are currently more than 2.800 civilian artificial satellites orbiting the Earth, and more than half of these are owned by the United States, so there is enough material to develop the necessary tests and experiment with blockchain technology in this area. Professor Sudler also noted that current advances in space communications and other developments can be further boosted by integrating the potential offered by blockchain technology.
Furthermore, the success of blockchain within satellite transactions will reduce the need for numerous ground stations to maintain and ensure constant communication with satellites in orbit. Furthermore, by making the most of equipment already in orbit to receive unique data, governments can also reduce the need to send an excessive number of satellites into space, also reducing space debris, which represents one of the greatest risks to satellites in orbit.
Continue reading: SCRAMBL, a blockchain solution for space communications funded by NASA
