Cryptosat launched Crypto1, a crypto satellite module, from Space Florida on a Falcon 9 rocket heading for SpaceX’s Transport 5 mission yesterday, marking the first time blockchain technology has been flown into space. Cryptosat’s objective is to develop satellites that will power cryptographic, blockchain, and ledger applications. “We believe that satellites possess unique properties that make them well suited for these tasks, and by launching these platforms into space we can unlock new and exciting opportunities in the realm of computing,” the company said. “We’re basically joining the Uber of spaceflight,” said Yonatan Winetraub, the co-founder of Cryptosat. “Everybody goes into the same orbit, and we’re one of the passengers.” The satellite will provide cryptographic services “SpaceX launched a bunch of satellites, each one of them is doing something else. It doesn’t matter for our service. We are hoping to use our satellite to provide cryptographic services for our customers here on Earth, which won’t interfere with the other satellites at all.” “Working with a space asset is not the same as working here on Earth,” said Cryptosat’s Yan Michalevsky. “On the ground, if something goes wrong, you just open a terminal and debug it. When it happens in space, that’s not always available.” He also stated that the launch will be the first of its kind, as it will be the first cryptography system “not reliant on other businesses’ s...
