Filecoin Foundation to deploy IPFS in space

The Filecoin Foundation and Lockheed Martin are developing a program to deploy the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) in space.

Announcing that @FilFoundation is working with @LMSpace to bring @IPFS to space! 🚀

Learn more ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/tqRA6qtaG3

— Filecoin Foundation (@FilFoundation) May 23, 2022

The partners plan to build infrastructure to reduce costs and accelerate information exchange beyond Earth.

«Space will soon stop being merely a destination. It will become a home for a new economy, independent of Earth. The work we are doing with Filecoin strengthens investments in building the necessary infrastructure. We need to develop technology to support long-term presence in space», — said, vice president of Lockheed Martin, Joe Landon.

According to Marta Belcher, president of the Filecoin Foundation, the modern Internet ‘does not work in space.’ Because data must be retrieved from a centralized Earth-based server when querying, for example, from the Moon, latency will be several seconds. When IPFS is used, content is retrieved from the nearest available locations, significantly reducing time and costs.

“Ultimately, by minimizing the frequency of data exchanges with Earth, the IPFS decentralized storage model will provide more efficient communication in space. It will also help reduce the burden on onboard memory capacity for spacecraft exploring planets and other celestial bodies,” said Belcher.

On the first stage of the collaboration, the partners aim to define by September 2022:

• a space platform to host the initial IPFS payload;
• requirements for mutual hardware interoperability;
• the possibility of a demonstration mission to use IPFS in space.

Because the project must account for power, mass and volume of equipment, as well as ensuring electronics operate outside Earth’s atmosphere, a low Earth orbit mission is initially being considered.

As noted, mainnet launch of Filecoin occurred in October 2020.