From DeFi to deep space: How SkyMapper and Avalanche are securing the world’s telescope records
SkyMapper has introduced a dedicated Avalanche-based network that records observations from telescopes around the world, turning each data point into a secure, verifiable digital record.
What to know:
- Avalanche is expanding beyond finance into space data, with SkyMapper launching a network that turns telescope observations into verifiable records, including live input from the SETI Institute.
- The system works by signing observations at capture, storing them across decentralized infrastructure, and anchoring a digital fingerprint onchain so anyone can verify the data’s authenticity, timing and origin.
- SkyMapper’s pitch centers on a growing problem: the explosion of data from satellites, drones and space missions, and the difficulty of verifying that data hasn’t been altered or misattributed.
The new network, SkyMapper L1, collects data from a wide range of telescopes and sensors around the world and turns each observation into a secure digital record. The company calls this a “Proof of Space Observation” (POSO) — essentially a way to prove that a specific event in the sky was actually seen, when it happened, and that the data hasn’t been altered. These verified records can then be used by scientists, businesses or government agencies that need reliable space data.
The SETI Institute, known for its search for extraterrestrial intelligence, is contributing live observational data, marking one of the first production-scale integrations of institutional science into a blockchain-based verification system.
SkyMapper’s pitch centers on a growing problem: the explosion of data from satellites, drones and space missions, and the difficulty of verifying that data hasn’t been altered or misattributed. The team argues that blockchain can help solve this by creating a permanent, tamper-resistant record of each observation that anyone can independently verify.
