Space for all, all for space

Space is for all, now and forever. As of 16 April 2024, over eighty countries have operated artificial satellites, while only five major players have significant Space Situational Awareness (SSA) capabilities, of which only the US makes a part of the data available for public use. Nations that have space assets and no SSA capabilities have to rely on the major players, via agreement, to be their eyes in space. In friendly times, this might not be concerning, but in war time, such critical information may be stopped, modified, or at worst spoofed, to leave the smaller players in a highly vulnerable situation. This data problem is in fact a space safety, security and sustainability problem. Reliable data enables informed decisions in space to make it safer for everyone. If no one knows who a satellite belongs to and where it is in space, it is easy to imagine it being used as a weapon without impunity. 

With 58000 satellites predicted to be launched until 2030, effective mechanisms need to be established to freely disseminate information about satellites' positions and capabilities to avoid in-space collisions. Unlike collisions on road, where mostly only two cars are affected, collisions in space have the potential of disabling space utilization for future generations. A single satellite might break up into a thousand pieces, all of which can cause further collisions, breaking up further satellites in a phenomenon termed the Kessler syndrome.

Space enables the modern economy, from Agriculture to Earth monitoring and disaster relief. Every human on the planet is linked to the services and benefits provided by satellites. 

• GPS: Almost 4 billion people globally use positioning technology,  half of the world population

• Telecommunications and Entertainment: Internet along with satellite TV (~5.35 billion people worldwide) keeps two-thirds of the world population entertained and updated with latest information

• Earth observation from space is a cost-effective way of obtaining unbiased and essential data on the physical world, enabling us to keep an eye on agricultural monitoring (USD 4.4 billion by 2025) and disaster management (USD 9.4 billion by 2030), among other sectors. The loss of space would affect the day-to-day life of everyone, bringing the modern space-dependent economy to its knees.  

Blockchain: Consensus-based truth for space safety

We are developing a blockchain-based platform to enable  an open, transparent and trustless, circular space economy. The core blockchain aggregates and verifies satellite orbital data. This consists of updated satellite positions and velocities for all satellites and debris currently in orbit around Earth. 

A crucial component of the ecosystem is a distributed network of observers with limited sensing capabilities (such as hobbyists) along with commercial SSA providers, who contribute data to the chain. There is no central authority controlling  access, enabling everyone to participate in making space safe (all for space). In return, their contributions are compensated by the network using the network's local tokens. The verification of data requires significant computation. Users that offer this computation to the network are compensated similarly. This is especially applicable for developing economies where the cost of running such computations is much lower compared to the higher energy prices in developed nations. The data on the blockchain serves as the backbone for various space safety, security and sustainability applications (see below).

Why is data verification and consolidation important?

How do you verify the validity of a piece of information from a single source? You can’t. If you trust the provider, you have to trust the data. That leaves you vulnerable to any omissions, alteration and spoofing in the data. However, once you have multiple independent sources of data, it becomes possible to form consensus: agreement between various observations. This makes it easier to detect omissions, alteration and spoofing of the data, making it more reliable for tasks such as satellite collision detection, for example. 

How does this enable Space Safety, Security and Sustainability (S3)?

Space is highly unregulated and some have even termed it the ‘new wild west’. Any entity can launch any payload into any orbit. In such a setting, how do we hold them accountable for space safety, security and sustainability? It is only possible through the power of data aggregation. Verified data across independent observers can feed algorithms for sustainability ratings, satellite conjunction prediction, and maneuver detection to provide insights into how each entity is behaving in space. Economic incentives in the form of insurance cost based on conformity to regulation can then enable good behavior. 

What solutions do we offer? (dApps)

The blockchain maintains verified data, which can enable a multitude of applications on chain, the so-called distributed Applications (dApps).

• The blockchain enables a safe, encrypted platform for inter-agency and inter-operator coordination for managing space events such as maneuvers and collisions avoidance.

• Space Risk Analysis: Partnering space insurance companies can leverage our accurate data for space risk analysis.

• Cross-Validation and Fair Pricing: The ability to cross-validate and price data according to market dynamics or data rarity ensures quality and fairness

• Offering launch window, orbit selection, and automated maneuver strategy services, creating an integrated platform with enhanced value

• Native Coin Rewards: Rewarding SSA providers, contributors and compute providers with native coins
  

• Insurance Incentives: Offering insurance policy discounts fosters long-term relationships with operators.

Protecting the Modern Space-Dependent Economy for everyone 

From ordering late-night food deliveries to high-speed internet in the middle of nowhere, our modern economy is deeply space dependent. Satellites provide vital communication and observation data which provides value that is intricately interwoven with how our modern society functions. Over the next few years, cellular and most internet services[1][2] will be delivered through satellite constellations in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Similarly, Global Positioning solutions have become part of daily life, enabled by satellites in the Middle Earth Orbit (MEO). Satellites have enabled frequent earth observation that enable disaster management, agricultural insight and keeping track of the effect of global warming, deforestation, carbon emission, and many other factors affecting our planet. 

Losing all satellites will set the human race back at least a century and might take decades to recover, if at all. By better tracking space assets, collision between them can be avoided, and debris can be better tracked. Infact, making space safe, secure and sustainable makes earth safe, secure and sustainable. 

Keeping the dream of an interplanetary specie alive

There is no doubt that human beings will extend to multiple planets within the near future. However, all roads to outside pass through the regions in which our current satellites operate. Keeping these highways open for business by ensuring that they are not filled with unnecessary debris is crucial.  Our solution will ensure that “good behavior” in space is encouraged and bad behavior is detectable and held accountable. This will benefit space operators who follow operational guidelines regarding space safety and sustainability and contribute to responsible space utilization which benefits all. 

Immediate economic benefits

By offering a network to which anyone can contribute, immediate economic benefits are available for anyone around the world who can run a piece of software to help the network. This mainly takes two forms: data contributors who are compensated for providing useful satellite observational data and data validators, who are enumerated for providing computational resources to the network.

We are well placed in the local and international space community both by training and social interactions. Both of us are a part of the Sentient Satellites Laboratory at Australian Institute for  Machine Learning at the University of Adelaide, Australia. This enables us to work at the cutting edge of space research and to collaborate with industry partners at the same time. 

The collaboration and discussions with experts in both the local and international space community has been vital in setting the direction of the project. We have attended various space conferences (Space Traffic Management 2024 in Austin being the latest) to get industry and academia’s feedback and to establish deep ties. 

Being a blockchain related project, we have actively been involved in other blockchain for space projects through community reach out events, collaborations and regular one-on-one conversations. 

We are working towards the first prototype of the blockchain which collects and verifies data. On the blockchain, we have a dApp that utilizes this data to generate Detectability, Identifiability and Trackability (DIT) rating, which is used as an indicator of the sustainability of a satellite. The output of this DIT dApp has been integrated into a custom ChatGPT, which can be accessed here. (requires ChatGPUT plus subscription to use)

Additionally, we have developed mechanism for predicting collision for satellites and storing then on the blockchain, which is another dApp for the system. A demo for which can be found here: https://trckd.space/LiveOnChai... (we were previous trackd.space).

The problem we are solving is yet to become critical. Our mission is to develop the knowledge, vision, and technology for when the problem becomes critical, our solution will be ready to the market to take up and use. This means that we have to keep our eye on the industry as it evolves and make in-roads into the industry during the same time. 

Access to mentors and experts

Data related to space assets is considered sensitive and shared accordingly. This makes it very difficult to have deeper insights into the industry, how it operates and what are the established processes involved in the industry. By becoming a Solver, we will gain access to industry experts whose valuable insights and mentorship over 9 months into the working of the industry, its processes and operations will greatly benefit the refinement of our vision. 

Establishing relations with space operator, manufactures, and decision makers

The monetary grants from Solve will enable travel to conferences and events to establish relations with industry experts and thought leaders. The dissemination of our idea is a barrier due to the current close nature of the space industry. A lot of effort is required to convince minds at various places to transform the future of how the space situational awareness industry operates and interacts with other entities and  to make the data available over a trusted distribution medium (blockchain).

One of the most vital things the global space industry lacks is trust. The sensitive nature of data and its close protection when added to lack of trust makes access to reliable information virtually impossible. Our solution breaks the problem down along two dimensions. Firstly, the lack of data is addressed by a data market-place to which anyone who has data can contribute (sell) data. Secondly, we use a blockchain to verify data and establish trust. Consumers of data therefore will have access to verified, reliable and timely data for critical mission related tasks or use dApps on the network to get problem specific analytics and solutions. This has never been done  for the space industry.

The solution proposed here addresses two fundamental problems in the space sector: lack of trust among various actors and the resulting scarcity of data required for safe and secure space operations. By providing a blockchain based solution that encourages both trust and free data distribution, many existing problems in the space industry can be solved. We expect our solution to follow the following routes to enable space safety, security and sustainability. 

Impact Goal: Space is safer

Indicators:

• Number of user on the network : The more users on our network, the more secure space operations are as everyone on the network is either directly or indirectly contributing to safe safety

• Number of data providers : More data providers leads to more accurate data and therefore safer space operations 

• Value exchanged over the network: As data is validated, new coins are generated to reward validators. The amount of value generated by the network is therefore an indicator of our contribution of space safety

Impact Goal: Space is more secure

Indicators:

• Improved Compliance: number of maneuvers executed based on our data as a percentage of total computed

• Number of new debris discovered by the network

• Number of reliable collision predictions with margin of error less than 100m 

Impact Goal: Space is more sustainable

Indicators:

• Reduction in Insurance costs due to our metrics per satellite operator

• Number of space collisions avoided using our data

Blockchain forms the core technology of our solution. It establishes trust, provides cryptographic guarantees, and ensures that reliable validated information is stored on the chain for posterity. This is the first instance of a blockchain-based solution being proposed for the space industry for data cross-validation and verification. 

It is relevant now and in the future due to the increased number of assets in space along with the increased need to free (as in freedom) data to maintain safe and secure space operations. The additional benefits a blockchain brings to the problem is the decentralized nature of the consensus, which does not require a trusted central authority. Space has no geographical boundaries and hence any central authority only impedes the growth of the space sector. A blockchain based solution is ideal for a future in which all humanity can participate without geographical barriers. 

Full time : Chief Executive Officer, Chief Technology Officer

Part-time: Chief Scientific Officer 

We have been working on the project for the last 8 months.

We are an open-source decentralized organization. Our processes enable anyone in the world to contribute to the progress of the team, without geographical barriers. This enables anyone from any remote corner of the world to be a part of the decentralized team regardless of age, gender, ethnicity and language.

The founding team consists of first-generation immigrants to Australia, who have found Australia to be their new home.

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