Cryptosat launches its second crypto satellite on SpaceX rocket
Cryptosat launched Crypto2, its second cryptographically-equipped satellite module, from Space Florida on January 3 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket bound for SpaceX’s Transport 6 mission.
Cryptosat is on a mission to build a Trusted Execution Environment in the space using satellites that power cryptographic, blockchain, and ledger applications. The company believes that satellites possess unique properties that improve cryptographic security for sensitive operations by isolating computational environments in orbit. And by launching its second satellite, which is no bigger than a coffee mug, it unlocks new and exciting opportunities in the realm of computing.
Crypto2 is equipped with 30x more computational power than its predecessor Crypto1, which launched in May 20200. The satellite proved vital as a tamper-proof platform for securing and launching blockchains and Web3 platforms.
“Falcon 9’s partially reusable launch vehicle, developed by SpaceX, can carry crew and commercial cargo into orbit. On its first flight of 2023, Cryptosat software formed part of the consignment, supporting Cryptosat’s goal of launching a Trusted Execution Environment in space,” the company explains.
Cryptosat, which raised $3 million in seed funding in November, asserts that no third party has interfered with the compute environment prior to its being launched into orbit. Additionally, being hosted over a trusted module in space, the blockchain is away from network intrusion or the reach of hackers who often target earth-based blockchains.
Cryptosat Co-Founder Yonatan Winetraub said: “The launch of Crypto2 is a milestone toward infrastructure expansion from a single satellite in 2022. The launch of Crypto2 gives us more availability and more powerful spec to support the growing portfolio of use cases in our development pipeline.”
The milestone comes shortly after the first version of Cryptosat’s Cryptosim Software has been made available. In December, Cryptosat released an API tutorial with a satellite trajectory simulation. Combining that with an application programming interface gives software developers the opportunity to interact with the software that will be running on Cryptosat’s low earth orbit satellites.
To reduce the learning curve, Cryptosim plans to guide developers step-by-step through the process of communicating with software that has been put on the satellite.
