• Lockheed Martin (LMT) and Filecoin Foundation work on blockchain network
• IPFS stores and shares data using content-addressing
• IPFS enables data exchange without contact with the earth
Lockheed Martin and the Filecoin Foundation are working on a joint network
The American defense and technology group Lockheed Martin (LMT) and the Filecoin Foundation are working together on a blockchain network that can be used in space. The Filecoin Foundation announced this on its website at the end of May. Specifically, it is about the development of a program to set up an interplanetary system for data exchange in space (Interplanetary File System (IPFS)). As more private activities and research trips take place in space and more space-based technologies emerge, the Filecoin Foundation believes it is important for the continued success of the space economy to establish a communication infrastructure in space.
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Space soon no longer just a travel destination
Filecoin is a decentralized cryptocurrency system designed to secure information. The Filecoin Foundation (FF) is an independent organization that funds critical development projects, supports the growth of the Filecoin network, and champions the decentralized internet.
The armaments company Loockheed Martin builds satellites and spacecraft for governments and commercial customers. According to the company, it has already worked with NASA. Joe Landon, vice president at Lockheed Martin, emphasizes that space will soon no longer just be a tourist destination, but also the home of a new space economy. Landon describes the cooperation between Lockheed Martin and Filecoin as part of the investments in building a space infrastructure. “We need to develop the technology to support the long-term presence in space,” says the vice president of Lockheed Martin.
How IPFS technology works
IPFS is a decentralized protocol for storing and sharing data using content-addressing, a special storage method to uniquely identify files. The Filecoin Foundation considers IPFS technology to be fundamental to the Filecoin network, a decentralized storage network based on cryptocurrencies.
According to Marta Belcher, President and Chair at Filecoin Foundation, the “I” in IPFS stands for interplanetary. As Belcher goes on to point out, the centralized internet model doesn’t work in space. Today’s Internet is designed in such a way that data must be restored from a centralized server with every click. If you were on the moon, there would be a second delay with each click as the contents had to be restored from the earth.
With IPFS technology, data exchange with the earth is no longer required. Data is not recovered from a specific server in a specific location. Instead, it will be restored from the location closest to the user’s location. If you are in space near another person who has already recovered the data from Earth, only the short distance between the two people needs to be travelled, which speeds up the data exchange. According to Filecoin, the IPFS and its decentralized storage model will enable more efficient data transfer and communication in space. The decentralized storage model could also reduce the load on spacecraft’s onboard storage.
M. Wieser / Editor finanzen.net
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