2 posts tagged with "space technology"

The Blockchain Application Stanford Summit (BASS) kicked off the week of the Science of Blockchain Conference (SBC), bringing together innovators, researchers, and builders to explore the cutting edge of the ecosystem. Organizers Gil, Kung, and Stephen welcomed attendees, highlighting the event's focus on entrepreneurship and real-world applications, a spirit born from its close collaboration with SBC. With support from organizations like Blockchain Builders and the Cryptography and Blockchain Alumni of Stanford, the day was packed with deep dives into celestial blockchains, the future of Ethereum, institutional DeFi, and the burgeoning intersection of AI and crypto.

Dalia Maliki: Building an Orbital Root of Trust with Space Computer​

Dalia Maliki, a professor at UC Santa Barbara and an advisor to Space Computer, opened with a look at a truly out-of-this-world application: building a secure computing platform in orbit.

What is Space Computer? In a nutshell, Space Computer is an "orbital root of trust," providing a platform for running secure and confidential computations on satellites. The core value proposition lies in the unique security guarantees of space. "Once a box is launched securely and deployed into space, nobody can come later and hack into it," Maliki explained. "It's purely, perfectly tamper-proof at this point." This environment makes it leak-proof, ensures communications cannot be easily jammed, and provides verifiable geolocation, offering powerful decentralization properties.

Architecture and Use Cases The system is designed with a two-tier architecture:

• Layer 1 (Celestial): The authoritative root of trust runs on a network of satellites in orbit, optimized for limited and intermittent communication.
• Layer 2 (Terrestrial): Standard scaling solutions like rollups and state channels run on Earth, anchoring to the celestial Layer 1 for finality and security.

Early use cases include running highly secure blockchain validators and a true random number generator that captures cosmic radiation. However, Maliki emphasized the platform's potential for unforeseen innovation. "The coolest thing about building a platform is always that you build a platform and other people will come and build use cases that you never even dreamed of."

Drawing a parallel to the ambitious Project Corona of the 1950s, which physically dropped film buckets from spy satellites to be caught mid-air by aircraft, Maliki urged the audience to think big. "By comparison, what we work with today in space computer is a luxury, and we're very excited about the future."

Tomasz Stanczak: The Ethereum Roadmap - Scaling, Privacy, and AI​

Tomasz Stanczak, Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, provided a comprehensive overview of Ethereum's evolving roadmap, which is heavily focused on scaling, enhancing privacy, and integrating with the world of AI.

Short-Term Focus: Supporting L2s The immediate priority for Ethereum is to solidify its role as the best platform for Layer 2s to build upon. Upcoming forks, Fusaka and Glumpsterdom, are centered on this goal. "We want to make much stronger statements that yes, [L2s] innovate, they extend Ethereum, and they will have a commitment from protocol builders that Layer 1 will support L2s in the best way possible," Stanczak stated.

Long-Term Vision: Lean Ethereum and Real-Time Proving Looking further ahead, the "Lean Ethereum" vision aims for massive scalability and security hardening. A key component is the ZK-EVM roadmap, which targets real-time proving with latencies under 10 seconds for 99% of blocks, achievable by solo stakers. This, combined with data availability improvements, could push L2s to a theoretical "10 million TPS." The long-term plan also includes a focus on post-quantum cryptography through hash-based signatures and ZK-EVMs.

Privacy and the AI Intersection Privacy is another critical pillar. The Ethereum Foundation has established the Privacy and Scaling Explorations (PSC) team to coordinate efforts, support tooling, and explore protocol-level privacy integrations. Stanczak sees this as crucial for Ethereum's interaction with AI, enabling use cases like censorship-resistant financial markets, privacy-preserving AI, and open-source agentic systems. He emphasized that Ethereum's culture of connecting multiple disciplines—from finance and art to robotics and AI—is essential for navigating the challenges and opportunities of the next decade.

Sreeram Kannan: The Trust Framework for Ambitious Crypto Apps with EigenCloud​

Sreeram Kannan, founder of Eigen Labs, challenged the audience to think beyond the current scope of crypto applications, presenting a framework for understanding crypto's core value and introducing EigenCloud as a platform to realize this vision.

Crypto's Core Thesis: A Verifiability Layer "Underpinning all of this is a core thesis that crypto is the trust or verifiability layer on top of which you can build very powerful applications," Kannan explained. He introduced a "TAM vs. Trust" framework, illustrating that the total addressable market (TAM) for a crypto application grows exponentially as the trust it underwrites increases. Bitcoin's market grows as it becomes more trusted than fiat currencies; a lending platform's market grows as its guarantee of borrower solvency becomes more credible.

EigenCloud: Unleashing Programmability Kannan argued that the primary bottleneck for building more ambitious apps—like a decentralized Uber or trustworthy AI platforms—is not performance but programmability. To solve this, EigenCloud introduces a new architecture that separates application logic from token logic.

"Let's keep the token logic on-chain on Ethereum," he proposed, "but the application logic is moved outside. You can actually now write your core logic in arbitrary containers... execute them on any device of your choice, whether it's a CPU or a GPU... and then bring these results verifiably back on-chain."

This approach, he argued, extends crypto from a "laptop or server scale to cloud scale," allowing developers to build the truly disruptive applications that were envisioned in crypto's early days.

Panel: A Deep Dive into Blockchain Architecture​

A panel featuring Leiyang from MegaETH, Adi from Realo, and Solomon from the Solana Foundation explored the trade-offs between monolithic, modular, and "super modular" architectures.

• MegaETH (Modular L2): Leiyang described MegaETH's approach of using a centralized sequencer for extreme speed while delegating security to Ethereum. This design aims to deliver a Web2-level real-time experience for applications, reviving the ambitious "ICO-era" ideas that were previously limited by performance.
• Solana (Monolithic L1): Solomon explained that Solana's architecture, with its high node requirements, is deliberately designed for maximum throughput to support its vision of putting all global financial activity on-chain. The current focus is on asset issuance and payments. On interoperability, Solomon was candid: "Generally speaking, we don't really care about interoperability... It's about getting as much asset liquidity and usage on-chain as possible."
• Realo ("Super Modular" L1): Adi introduced Realo's "super modular" concept, which consolidates essential services like oracles directly into the base layer to reduce developer friction. This design aims to natively connect the blockchain to the real world, with a go-to-market focus on RWAs and making the blockchain invisible to end-users.

Panel: The Real Intersection of AI and Blockchain​

Moderated by Ed Roman of HackVC, this panel showcased three distinct approaches to merging AI and crypto.

• Ping AI (Bill): Ping AI is building a "personal AI" where users maintain self-custody of their data. The vision is to replace the traditional ad-exchange model. Instead of companies monetizing user data, Ping AI's system will reward users directly when their data leads to a conversion, allowing them to capture the economic value of their digital footprint.
• Public AI (Jordan): Described as the "human layer of AI," Public AI is a marketplace for sourcing high-quality, on-demand data that can't be scraped or synthetically generated. It uses an on-chain reputation system and staking mechanisms to ensure contributors provide signal, not noise, rewarding them for their work in building better AI models.
• Gradient (Eric): Gradient is creating a decentralized runtime for AI, enabling distributed inference and training on a network of underutilized consumer hardware. The goal is to provide a check on the centralizing power of large AI companies by allowing a global community to collaboratively train and serve models, retaining "intelligent sovereignty."

More Highlights from the Summit​

• Orin Katz (Starkware) presented building blocks for "compliant on-chain privacy," detailing how ZK-proofs can be used to create privacy pools and private tokens (ZRC20s) that include mechanisms like "viewing keys" for regulatory oversight.
• Sam Green (Cambrian) gave an overview of the "Agentic Finance" landscape, categorizing crypto agents into trading, liquidity provisioning, lending, prediction, and information, and highlighted the need for fast, comprehensive, and verifiable data to power them.
• Max Siegel (Privy) shared lessons from onboarding over 75 million users, emphasizing the need to meet users where they are, simplify product experiences, and let product needs inform infrastructure choices, not the other way around.
• Nil Dalal (Coinbase) introduced the "Onchain Agentic Commerce Stack" and the open standard X42, a crypto-native protocol designed to create a "machine-payable web" where AI agents can seamlessly transact using stablecoins for data, APIs, and services.
• Gordon Liao & Austin Adams (Circle) unveiled Circle Gateway, a new primitive for creating a unified USDC balance that is chain-abstracted. This allows for near-instant (<500ms) deployment of liquidity across multiple chains, dramatically improving capital efficiency for businesses and solvers.

The day concluded with a clear message: the foundational layers of crypto are maturing, and the focus is shifting decisively towards building robust, user-friendly, and economically sustainable applications that can bridge the gap between the on-chain world and the global economy.

What if the next billion internet users came online not through fiber optics or cell towers, but through blockchain-powered satellites beaming connectivity from 400 kilometers above Earth? That's exactly what Spacecoin is betting on—and with a $2-per-month price tag and partnerships with Trump-linked DeFi protocols, this space-based DePIN project just became impossible to ignore.

On January 24, 2026, Spacecoin launched its SPACE token across Binance, Kraken, and Uniswap, marking the culmination of a remarkable journey from a single test satellite to a fully operational decentralized satellite network. But this isn't just another token launch—it's the beginning of a new chapter in how we think about internet infrastructure, financial inclusion, and the convergence of crypto and space technology.

From Chile to Portugal: The First Blockchain Transaction Through Space​

The story of Spacecoin's technical breakthrough reads like science fiction made real. In October 2025, during a keynote at TOKEN2049 Singapore, the team demonstrated something unprecedented: a blockchain transaction transmitted entirely through space.

The proof-of-concept worked like this: Messages were uplinked to Spacecoin's CTC-0 satellite from Punta Arenas, Chile via S-band radio waves. The satellite, built by Endurosat and launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare in December 2024, then relayed that data across 7,000 kilometers to a ground station in the Azores, Portugal using store-and-forward technology. The transaction was validated on the Creditcoin blockchain, confirming both the satellite's relay capability and the integrity of the protocol.

"Unlike terrestrial networks, which remain vulnerable to outages, censorship, and cost barriers, a decentralized satellite-based system can deliver internet access that is global, censorship-resistant, and independent of monopolies," the company stated.

This wasn't just a tech demo—it was a declaration of independence from the infrastructure that currently controls global connectivity.

The CTC Constellation: Building Internet Infrastructure in Orbit​

Spacecoin's satellite constellation is still in its early stages, but the roadmap is ambitious. After CTC-0 proved the concept worked, the company launched three additional satellites—the CTC-1 cluster—in November 2025. These enable inter-satellite handoffs and broader demonstrations across continents.

The technical progression tells a story of rapid scaling:

• CTC-0: Single demonstration nanosatellite (6U form factor)
• CTC-1: Three-satellite cluster enabling handoffs (16U satellites)
• CTC-2 and beyond: Transition to microsatellites for significantly improved performance

Founded in 2022 as a spinoff from Gluwa, a financial services company focused on emerging markets, Spacecoin represents founder Tae Oh's vision of leveraging space infrastructure to solve the digital divide. The company has positioned itself as the first DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network) powered by blockchain-enabled LEO nanosatellite constellations.

The $2 Promise: Disrupting Starlink's Pricing Model​

Here's where things get interesting for the other 3 billion people on Earth who remain offline.

Spacecoin is targeting a price point of just $1-2 per month per user in emerging markets—compared to Starlink's approximately $46 monthly residential rate. This isn't just incremental disruption; it's a fundamentally different approach to the economics of satellite internet.

How can they offer such dramatically lower prices? The answer lies in the DePIN model itself. By sharing infrastructure costs through blockchain protocols and incentivizing community participation through token economics, Spacecoin aims to distribute both the costs and benefits of building a satellite network.

The company has already moved from theory to practice, signing agreements for pilot programs in four countries:

• Kenya: Licensed by the Communications Authority of Kenya for satellite IoT monitoring and rural connectivity. Currently, Starlink controls over 98% of Kenya's satellite internet market with 19,470 of the country's 19,762 satellite subscribers.

• Nigeria: Building on an existing license from the Nigerian Communications Commission, targeting rural communities. Nigeria has more than 100 million unconnected people.

• Indonesia: Working with local partners to extend coverage across the archipelago, where geography makes terrestrial buildouts prohibitively complex. Around 93 million Indonesians remain offline.

• Cambodia: Strategic partnership with MekongNet to provide satellite internet to rural and underserved populations.

In each market, Spacecoin provides the core satellite infrastructure while local partners handle ground operations and user support—a model designed for scale.

The Trump Connection: World Liberty Finance Partnership​

Perhaps the most eyebrow-raising development came just two days before the SPACE token launch. On January 22, 2026, Spacecoin announced a strategic partnership and token swap with World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a DeFi platform backed by the Trump family.

The partnership isn't merely symbolic. WLFI's USD1 stablecoin has grown to approximately $3.27 billion in market capitalization, making it one of the larger stablecoins in circulation. The SPACE token launched paired with USD1, reinforcing the connection between the two projects.

What does this mean practically? The initiative aims to enable financial settlements through satellite networks, allowing cryptocurrency payments and stablecoin transfers even in regions without reliable terrestrial internet access. Blockchain.com also announced a strategic partnership to support the SPACE token launch.

This convergence of satellite infrastructure and DeFi rails could create something genuinely new: a parallel financial system that doesn't depend on traditional telecommunications or banking infrastructure.

DePIN's Defining Moment: A $19 Billion Sector Finds Its Use Case​

Spacecoin's launch comes at a pivotal moment for the broader DePIN sector. As of September 2025, CoinGecko tracks nearly 250 DePIN projects with a combined market cap above $19 billion—up from just $5.2 billion a year ago.

During 2025 alone, venture capital funds invested more than $740 million in DePIN projects. Some estimates suggest the sector could reach a potential valuation of $3.5 trillion by 2028, driven by demand for physical infrastructure to support artificial intelligence and robotics.

The thesis is compelling: across large parts of Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, basic infrastructure remains insufficient. Connectivity is limited, energy supply is unstable, and the generation of reliable data depends on centralized systems that fail to meet demand. DePIN fits precisely into that gap.

Spacecoin represents the satellite connectivity vertical within this broader trend. Other notable DePIN projects are tackling different infrastructure challenges:

• GEODNET: Uses rooftop satellite miners to enhance GPS accuracy to centimeter-level precision, with partnerships including the U.S. Department of Agriculture for precision agriculture
• Helium: Continues to expand its decentralized wireless network
• Decen Space: Building a decentralized network of satellite ground stations on Solana

Risks and Realities: What Could Go Wrong​

No honest analysis of Spacecoin would be complete without acknowledging the substantial risks.

Technical execution: Building a satellite constellation is hard. SpaceX has spent over $10 billion and launched thousands of satellites to build Starlink. Spacecoin has four satellites and ambitious plans—the gap between vision and execution remains enormous.

Regulatory hurdles: Satellite spectrum is one of the most regulated resources on Earth. While Spacecoin has secured licenses in Kenya and Nigeria, global deployment requires navigating hundreds of regulatory jurisdictions.

Competition: Starlink, Amazon's Project Kuiper, and OneWeb are spending billions to dominate the satellite internet market. Spacecoin's DePIN model may offer cost advantages, but incumbents have massive head starts.

Token economics: The SPACE token's value proposition depends on network effects that don't yet exist at scale. Token launches often front-run actual utility.

Political entanglements: The WLFI partnership brings visibility but also controversy. Association with politically divisive figures could complicate international expansion.

The Bigger Picture: Infrastructure for the Post-Terrestrial Internet​

Despite these risks, Spacecoin represents something significant: the first serious attempt to apply DePIN principles to space-based infrastructure.

The company's goal—providing reliable connectivity for the 2.6 billion people who have never connected to the Internet and the additional 3.5 billion who live with restricted access—addresses a genuine market failure. Traditional satellite providers have struggled to serve these markets profitably. If blockchain-enabled cost sharing can change that math, the implications extend far beyond crypto.

The CTC-0 satellite successfully transmitting a blockchain transaction through space proved the technology works. The pilot programs in Kenya, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Cambodia will test whether the business model works. And the SPACE token launch provides the capital and community to scale—if execution follows.

For Web3, Spacecoin represents the kind of real-world utility that the industry has long promised but rarely delivered. This isn't yield farming or NFT speculation—it's physical infrastructure connecting the unconnected.

The next chapter will be written 400 kilometers above Earth. Whether Spacecoin can actually deliver internet for $2 per month remains to be seen, but the attempt itself marks a new frontier for decentralized infrastructure.

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