The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is collaborating with the Florida-based tech startup Lonestar and the Isle of Man. NASA intends to establish an innovative data storage solution on the Moon using blockchain technology.

They have scheduled the dispatch of a specialized payload containing “data cubes” to the Moon for February 2024. The objective is to execute a trial run by generating digital stamps called ‘digital franking’. These stamps will then be deposited within the data cubes on the lunar surface.

NASA will employ blockchain technology to authenticate and safeguard the data residing within these cubes. They will guarantee the integrity of the information against tampering. Subsequently, upon deployment, the blockchain will authenticate the data upon its return to Earth, ensuring its completeness and unaltered state.

Assuming the plan unfolds smoothly, NASA’s upcoming mission, Artemis 3 in 2025, will utilize the same blockchain technology to verify and document the human landing on the Moon. Consequently, it will establish an irrefutable and immutable record of this historic event.

In November 2024, NASA will launch Artemis 2, marking the second phase of the Artemis mission. This mission will have a crew of four astronauts who will depart from Earth, orbit the Moon, and then return. 

While it won’t involve a lunar landing, Artemis 2 is the final test run before the U.S. government carries out the historic Artemis 3 mission, which will place humans on the Moon’s surface again.

During an interview with Science Focus, the head of innovation at Digital Isle of Man, Kurt Roosen, expressed that NASA found it “remarkably challenging” to refute the claims that they fabricated the six crewed Moon landings between 1969 and 1972.

Lonestar and the Isle of Man have partnered to pioneer innovative long-term lunar storage systems. These systems will rely solely on solar power and will require no additional infrastructure for setup.

The blockchain may be unable to dispel conspiracy theories concerning the 20th-century lunar landings. However, it is poised to function as an unequivocal registry for future human missions to the Moon’s surface.