Thales, a French multinational company specializing in products and services for aerospace and defense industries, is using blockchain technology for a new management system at its production hub in Spain. According to an official announcement on Nov. 5, Thales is seeking to deploy technologies like blockchain and big data to enable the digital transformation of its defense- and aeronautics-focused production and maintenance center. As part of the initiative, the Paris-based company looks to comply with standards by the NATO and defense authorities by using blockchain to increase traceability of processes at the center. The announcement reads: “To comply with NATO …

Singapore-based blockchain data firm CyberVein has become one of 12 firms participating in the construction of China’s Hainan Wenchang International Aerospace City. Construction commenced last month, with the site previously hosting a satellite launch center. Described as “China’s first aerospace cultural and tourism city,” it will be a hub for the development of aerospace products and support services intended for use in Chinese spacecraft and satellite launch missions. The 12-million-square-meter facility will host the country’s first aerospace super-computing center, and will focus on developing 40 technological areas including big data, satellite remote sensing and high precision positioning technology. CyberVein will …

According to an announcement published on August 18, SpaceChain has successfully demonstrated the first use of blockchain hardware on the International Space Station, or ISS. This feat was made possible through a collaboration with the European Space Agency, which appears to have provided funding, hardware, and general support to the project. The transaction was conducted by SpaceChain co-founder and CTO Jeff Garzik, who said that successfully signing this BTC transaction marks progress toward SpaceChain’s goal of building a secure, open source, and immutable blockchain satellite network. To make the transaction possible, a ground station transmitted encrypted data to the ISS, …

Honeywell International Inc has created a blockchain-based system to solve the complex documentation and data storage processes of the aerospace industry. The company announced that its blockchain subsidiary GoDirect Trade will integrate the aircraft record generation process into its blockchain system. Doing so will allow Honeywell customers to search aerospace parts and service data through its interface. Making data handling more efficient In its present state, data related to aerospace parts and services are scattered across computer systems and hard copies. This results in airline companies and operators sometimes losing important documents that are crucial for proving the legitimacy of …

Scammers have conned more YouTube viewers into sending them Bitcoin after hacking several more large verified accounts and posting ‘free giveaway’ videos. According to an Aug. 5 tweet posted by Jon Prosser, his Front Page Tech YouTube channel with 262,000 subscribers was hacked by bad actors who changed the name to “NASA [news]” and began live streaming a fake Bitcoin (BTC) giveaway video featuring SpaceX’s Elon Musk. “Hackers have made $4,000 in Bitcoin so far,” said Prosser. “YouTube tells me I need to fill out a form and wait ‘a few weeks.’” Seven years’ worth of Front Page Tech’s videos …

Crypto scammers have stolen at least $150,000 by impersonating SpaceX YouTube accounts and hosting fake Bitcoin giveaways. According to a June 9 report on Bleeping Computer, several scammers hacked legitimate YouTube accounts and changed the branding and content to emulate that of Elon Musk's SpaceX channel. The channels then broadcast archived footage of Musk as if it was a live event and asked viewers to send Bitcoin (BTC). Bleeping Computer reported that at least 80,000 people watched the live stream, which has brought in 15.31 BTC for the scammers since June 8. One of the Bitcoin addresses received 29 transactions …

Elon Musk, a tech mogul with indirect ties to the crypto industry, sent two humans into orbit on May 30 in the first private, manned space craft launch in history. "The launch will be the first time a private company, rather than a national government, sends astronauts into orbit," Fox News said in a May 27 brief. "It will also be the first time that astronauts launch from U.S. soil since the final space shuttle mission in 2011." Ground control to Maj. Musk Known for his leadership of futuristic car company Tesla, CEO Elon Musk disrupted the rocket sector in …

Blockstream has just upgraded their satellite network that carries the Bitcoin blockchain for the first time in almost two years. The data rate is now 25 times faster and users can sync an entire node without connecting to the web. The Blockstream satellite service provides internet-free Bitcoin (BTC) transactions and information sharing to crypto users in nearly every corner of the world. The company has leased six geostationary satellites which are used to broadcast the blockchain to Africa, Europe, South and North America, and the Asia Pacific region. According to a May 4 announcement on the company website, the Canada-based …

Tyler Winklevoss, a billionaire Bitcoin (BTC) investor and co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, bought the world’s most expensive ticket to space. The purchase was made back in January 2014, according to a report by cryptocurrency platform Luno on Feb. 24. At the time, Winklevoss acquired a ticket for Virgin Galactic’s passenger-carrying spaceship for 312.5 BTC, which was worth $250,000 at the time. Virgin Galactic is a space tourism company within the British venture capital conglomerate Virgin Group. “Bitcoin Pizza moment” As such, Winklevoss’s initial investment of 312.5 BTC in the ticket is currently valued at over $3 million, marking an …

While Bitcoin (BTC) might not be ready for the moon yet, its underlying technology of blockchain is being increasingly adopted in space. The European Space Agency (ESA), a major intergovernmental organization dedicated to space exploration, is funding a new blockchain project aiming to boost the world’s mining industry. A known contributor to blockchain technology applications, the ESA has now co-funded a joint project with Scottish startup Hypervine to improve data transparency for the mining industry by combining satellite data and blockchain. The news was reported by oil and gas-oriented publication Oil & Gas Middle East. Preventing potentially fatal accidents in …

Space-as-a-service-focused blockchain startup SpaceChain has sent its hardware wallet technology to the International Space Station (ISS). As part of the CRS-19 commercial resupply service mission, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is delivering SpaceChain’s hardware wallet technology to the ISS, according to a Dec. 6 press release. The move purportedly marks the first tech demonstration of blockchain hardware on the ISS and the third blockchain payload by SpaceChain over the past two years. Acceleration of space-as-a-service adoption The technology will then be installed on the commercial platform on Station provided by commercial utilization of space firm Nanoracks. The initiative is set …

Blockchain software technology company ConsenSys has unveiled Trusat, a satellite tracking application based on the Ethereum (ETH) network. According to the firm's tweet posted on Oct. 22, Trusat aims to tackle the problem of space debris that could damage Earth’s space infrastructure. Tackling space debris with blockchain The initiative hopes that its app’s users will track satellites in the night sky and record their positions in order to help create a record. The application also indicates when and where to look for the highest priority marks. The company explained: “The number of satellites is increasing by 25x. Collisions threaten the …