The new system will allow people from all over the world to send any type of information through Bitcoin and pay it in the Lightning Network test
Programming transmissions of data and messages through satellite is now possible. The beta version of the Blockstream Satellite API is now available. The launch was announced and published on January 16th.
“We’re excited to announce the launch of the SatelliteAPI Beta! Pay via testnet Lightning Network to globally broadcast data for exciting new use cases! Mainnet support coming soon. Get started building powered apps today!” said Blockstream through its official Twitter account, @Blockstream.
As a gift to the blockchain community, the company’s service focused on the development and implementation of Bitcoin technology to be free, using the Lightning Network (LN) test for its payments.
The purpose is the expansion of the Blockstream Company’s satellite service, which in December began the transmission of the Bitcoin blockchain (BTC) worldwide.
This idea of taking blockchain technology to outer space has the purpose of freeing the cryptocurrency network from the dependence of a terrestrial connection to the Internet, in order to increase the robustness and efficiency of the blockchain platform, as well as allowing it to reach more people.
A Safe Method
In this development, the size of each message is limited so that it can be sent in approximately 10 seconds. The total speed of processing and sending will depend on the traffic on the network and the commissions paid by the users, as it happens in Bitcoin transactions. Developers must use their own encryption, fragmentation and reassembly of large messages in case they need to transmit large amounts of data.
This Blockstream initiative has some features that seek to improve people’s privacy. In this way developers can use the API with personalized encryption, so that the information sent can only be decoded by its recipients and prevent messages from being violated.
“While satellite communications are traditionally prohibitive in cost, Blockstream Satellite will eventually allow developers to adopt satellite communications in their applications. The new API will make it possible to send ‘Hello World’ to many people, but we believe developers will find something a little more adventurous”, said project leader, Chris Cook in December.
How Does it Work?
Since the product is aimed at privacy, only a specific user or a group of users can decrypt the data received, which is sent from the Internet through a means of dissemination. When it comes to paying for the service, Lightning Network allows an additional level of privacy, disconnecting the source of payment from the destination, explains the company’s announcement.
Other platforms use space technology to send information in a decentralized and secure manner. This week the first Qtum transaction was conducted in outer space after the SpaceChain initiative sent a total of 5 QTUM (a cryptocurrency) from another terrestrial station to another blockchain address. This was possible because the platform launched two satellites into space (one in February and the second in October 2018), which work as a blockchain node.
Satellite API is still in beta, so the company is open to receiving comments and reports of any errors that may occur in the process. After the testing period, satellite API will change to the main network to become one of the first Bitcoin satellite services in the world.
By María Rodríguez
