NASA explores the potential of blockchain in space

NASA awarded a $ 330,000 grant to the American University of Acron for the study of the blockchain technology, which in theory will help improve the quality of space communications. About this reports portal Coinsquare .

The further a person advances in space exploration , the more difficult it is for the existing technology to receive and transmit signals to Earth. Today, the main obstacle to the study of the vast expanses of the universe is the distance between spacecraft and ground communications centers. The main problem is an increase in the transmission speed of the transmitted signal and its attenuation.

In NASA intend to reduce the time delay. A project of a group of researchers headed by Dr. Wei, an associate professor at the University of Akron University, will help solve this problem.


The basis of the new system is to use Ethereum units. Experts intend to combine the decentralized capabilities and reliability of the blockchain technology with AI and deep learning methods.

“The blockchain will be used to develop a safe and decentralized infrastructure for space exploration,” the study said in a summary.

In addition to the difficulties in obtaining data for research, there is another problem - the physical one: space technology runs the risk of facing space debris . The project based on the blockchain, proposed by scientists, is able to solve it.

The blockchain system will track such garbage, report about it via a decentralized network, on the basis of which the course will be automatically adjusted. Thus, spacecraft will be able to avoid collisions.

Moreover, the collected data will be used to predict possible collisions. This again will give a gain in time and, as a result, the preparation of devices.

Another advantage of the development is data integrity. Now information received by satellites for various reasons does not always reach ground centers.



In total, NASA has four areas of grants:

1. Space Grant - a program to support projects in the field of astronautics and engineering.
2. NASA Research Opportunities - research and development grants that will help further space exploration.
3. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs - support for commercial projects that would help the agency in research, development and demonstration of new technologies to society.
4. International Space Station Funding Opportunities - cooperation with government and large-scale international projects.