When you look at Earth from space, there are no borders. But up in orbit, it’s starting to feel crowded and competitive. Satellites sometimes crash, countries compete for spots, and companies are already eyeing space rocks for mining. The problem is, our current rules were made more than 50 years ago, back when only the U.S. and the Soviet Union were serious space players. 50 years ago 50 years ago 50 years ago They don’t cover today’s realities: who gets to use resources like moon ice, how to keep too many satellites from cluttering orbit, or who decides which signals get priority when thousands of them are flying around at once. The Governance Gap in Space The Governance Gap in Space People often call space the “ultimate global commons,” meaning it belongs to everyone, yet no one really runs it. The main rules still come from the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, written back when space was a Cold War contest between two superpowers. Since then, no strong new treaty has been made, and even modern efforts like the Artemis Accords are seen as favoring a handful of powerful players. 1967 Outer Space Treaty 1967 Outer Space Treaty 1967 Outer Space Treaty Artemis Accords Artemis Accords Artemis Accords Meanwhile, orbit is filling up fast. Thousands of satellites and mega-constellations are already circling Earth, with plans for tens of thousands more. The result looks a lot like a tragedy of the commons: crowded orbits, radio interference, and overlapping claims with no real referee. The real problem? There’s no single neutral system that everyone shares. A company can claim frequency rights on paper, but still block others from using the same orbital slot. And since nobody enforces these rules globally, the race for orbital real estate keeps getting riskier. Some experts even warn that if nothing changes, Low Earth Orbit could become too unsafe to use within a decade. Why Blockchain Fits Space Why Blockchain Fits Space Space has no borders, and blockchain works the same way. It doesn’t belong to any country or any company. Instead, it’s a shared digital record that everyone can view, but nobody can modify secretly. That makes it a natural match for space, which is supposed to be a common resource for everyone. With blockchain, agreements are made in the form of smart contracts, and every action is recorded with absolute transparency. No single person gets to dominate the system, and everybody trusts the same source of truth. The Tony Blair Institute points out that blockchain’s key traits, such as decentralization, transparency, tamper-proofness, and automation, put it in a favourable position for space governance. Tony Blair Institute Tony Blair Institute Tony Blair Institute What would this look like in practice? Imagine A universal satellite register where every launch, every orbit slot, every maneuver is permanently recorded. Or smart contracts to routinely verify that satellites comply with safety regulations, such as having enough fuel to move out of the way when needed, and penalize those who do not. In a place where no global law enforcement exists, blockchain could act as the referee. As blockchain expert Kevin Owocki describes it: “It’s all coordination.” Coordination is exactly what's missing in today's busy airspace. It’s all coordination It’s all coordination It’s all coordination Real-World Projects Showing the Way Real-World Projects Showing the Way Blockchain in space is not a concept anymore, it’s already happening. A typical example is SpaceChain, a start-up in Singapore, that has already launched blockchain nodes in space. In 2021 and again in 2023, they sent Ethereum-compatible hardware on SpaceX rockets to the International Space Station. SpaceChain SpaceChain SpaceChain With on-orbit testing finally a possibility, developers are no longer limited to simulations but can validate on-orbit transactions, from executing smart contracts to generating NFTs in microgravity. As SpaceChain CEO Zee Zheng says, building a decentralized satellite network is key to achieving blockchain's full potential in space SpaceChain CEO Zee Zheng SpaceChain CEO Zee Zheng SpaceChain CEO Zee Zheng Another example is from Guardtime, an Estonian company that was awarded a contract from the European Space Agency to develop a blockchain Space Traffic Coordination system. It's a simple yet powerful idea: Keep an immutable record of every satellite's location, maneuver request, and collision warning. Guardtime Guardtime Guardtime Such a ledger might then enable operators around the globe to employ a similar common data, in turn reducing the risks of crashes and communication errors in orbit. The Risks of Doing Nothing The Risks of Doing Nothing If we don’t change how space is managed, the problems will only get worse. The amount of traffic in orbit is exploding, and debris is already a serious threat. NASA tracks more than 19,000 pieces of junk larger than 10 cm, and every collision creates thousands more fragments. Without a shared system to log trajectories and keep an unchangeable record of movements, satellites will keep running the risk of collisions or vanishing without explanation. 19,000 pieces 19,000 pieces 19,000 pieces The risk isn't only technical, it's political. As nations and businesses look at resources such as lunar ice or asteroids, the absence of a neutral arbiter might ignite controversy. Today, there isn't a world scoreboard, no space-trusted court to decide who is authorized to do what. A blockchain-style registry of space resources might play such a role, allowing miners or nations to record their claims in an immutable ledger that everybody recognizes and trusts. Without such technology, space might become a frontier in which lawlessness and blame are the only orders. If nothing is done, experts say even low Earth orbit might become inaccessible. Simply put, without innovation, the dream of peaceful space exploration might turn into a nightmare of conflict and debris. Challenges and Criticisms Challenges and Criticisms Blockchain won’t solve everything overnight. The tech is still young, and implementing it in space carries real practical challenges. Hardware in orbit must tolerate radiation and high temperatures, both of which can destroy chips and data. Satellite connections are also subject to latency and patchy coverage, so building a global blockchain in space would require very high-reliability, high-bandwidth links. Energy is a further barrier. Power-driven mechanisms such as proof-of-work do not make sense on satellites with limited resources. Then there’s also the government side: some experts caution against turning complex treaties into immutable code as unrealistic. What then does one do in the event of an unexpected happening? Who updates the rules if everyone has to agree? Security does count too. A bug in a smart contract or a hacked node can lead to big trouble, and unlike Earth-based systems, you can't simply push out a rapid patch or reboot satellites overnight. And then there are the politics to slow things up. Not all governments and businesses will desire to transfer their data onto a shared blockchain, and they may consider it a threat to their control. In short, a space blockchain could solve big issues, but it can create new ones too if it's not well-designed. It's a question of building something safe, durable, and trusted enough for the world to use. The Future of Space Governance with Blockchain The Future of Space Governance with Blockchain In spite of challenges, it's not very difficult to envision blockchain as a part of the space operating system in the future. Space agencies and startups talk about "Space 4.0", where digital networks, AI, and decentralized networks grow alongside rockets and satellites. Space 4.0 Space 4.0 Space 4.0 Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) could take on global challenges such as clearing space debris or monitoring disasters, where individuals from various parts of the world vote on priorities via tokens. Some visionaries even predict the emergence of a "Space Treaty DAO," a digital institution that writes orbital rules into smart contracts, reallocating orbits and spectrum through consensus rather than through politics. Such projects as SpaceDAO are already experimenting with this kind of multi-stakeholder mechanism. SpaceDAO SpaceDAO SpaceDAO It’s speculative, yes, but today's blockchain experiments in orbit could well become tomorrow's infrastructure. As the Tony Blair Institute reports, "we can't yet say blockchain will completely transform space law,  but experimenting with these concepts today could help us keep space as a true global commons." Tony Blair Institute Tony Blair Institute A Borderless Layer for a Borderless Frontier A Borderless Layer for a Borderless Frontier No government, no rulebook exists in space. It belongs to everyone, yet Earth's politics still holds it back. Blockchain provides an alternative solution: a common database where actions are open and trusted. If you asked me for the best example of a blockchain with a real purpose, I’d say look up at space. It's a sector where no country should be in control of, and blockchain might well be the fair referee humanity requires. Because space governance isn't just about treaties and satellites. It's about whether our first frontier beyond Earth will be shaped by chaos or cooperation.

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