Blockchain-powered satellite contributes to Ethereum scaling
The Ethereum KZG ceremony receives a contributor from space as Cryptosat, a blockchain-powered satellite orbiting the Earth, has contributed entropy to the Ethereum scaling effort. The satellite’s Verifiable Random Beacon service generated the entropy, which was signed by the satellite itself and can be verified using the public key of Crypto2.
The Ethereum Foundation asked users from around the world to contribute randomness to the KZG ceremony to strengthen the security of the next version of Ethereum. The KZG ceremony aims to provide a cryptographic foundation for Ethereum scaling.
The contribution from Cryptosat’s space satellite will be visible in real time via a dashboard that monitors the satellite’s trajectory and latest status. According to the Cryptosat announcement, the satellite orbits the Earth every 90 minutes following a distant course 550 km above the ground, making it difficult for external actors to gain access under the KZG contribution.
Cryptosat has a Verifiable Random Beacon service, which generates entropy for its contribution. Beacons from this service are signed by the satellite itself and can be verified using the public key of Crypto2, which was also generated in space. The entropy commitment from Cryptostat’s space satellite will be valuable in strengthening the security of the next version of Ethereum.
Cryptosat is one of the thousands of contributors to the KZG ceremony. The company’s satellite, Crypto2, was launched into space on January 3 aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9. It was the successor to the first satellite launch of Crypto1 back in May. According to Cryptosat, the second satellite has 30 times the computing power of the first.
Cryptosat’s contribution to the KZG ceremony is part of the company’s efforts to make space a “new battleground in the pursuit of bulletproof cryptography.” The entropy commitment from Cryptostat’s space satellite will add an extra layer of security to the next version of Ethereum, which is slated for an April 12 upgrade.
Generating the parameters for the Ethereum KZG ceremony in a completely physically isolated environment has many advantages, according to Michalevsky, a security researcher at Cornell Tech. If leaked, the “toxic waste” could compromise the “integrity of the cryptographic schema” on which the next version of Ethereum is based.
In conclusion, the contribution of entropy from Cryptosat’s space satellite to the Ethereum KZG ceremony will strengthen the security of the next version of Ethereum, which is scheduled for an upgrade on April 12. The satellite’s Verifiable Random Beacon service generated the entropy, which was signed by the satellite itself and can be verified using the public key of Crypto2. This contribution is part of Cryptosat’s efforts to turn space into a new battleground in the pursuit of bulletproof cryptography.
