Filecoin Foundation Deploys IPFS in Space

After nearly three years of collaboration with Lockheed Martin Space, Filecoin Foundation has successfully completed a first-of-its-kind mission deploying the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) in space.

The recent demonstration involved sending files from Earth to orbit and back using an implementation of the IPFS protocol designed for space communications.

As part of the demonstration, the IPFS white paper and an image of FF’s mascot (Biscuit, the “FileCorgi”) were transmitted to an orbiting LM LINUSS CubeSat and back.

The demonstration highlighted several benefits of using IPFS for networking in space, including faster communications, data verification, and data resilience.

The successful mission demonstrates how IPFS could serve as critical infrastructure for the emerging space economy. FF President Marta Belcher announced this milestone on stage at the Filecoin Sanctuary in Davos in a session about decentralized technologies in space, alongside Lockheed Martin Space Vice President Tim Shephard and astronaut Sara Sabry. FF and Lockheed Martin Space initially announced the collaboration in Davos in May 2022 and announced details of the mission in Davos in January 2023.

"Where Filecoin has an advantage,” said Lockheed Martin Space’s Tim Shephard during the session, “is the ability to have a distributed file storage system in space – where if there is degradation, it is graceful degradation,” adding that ‘graceful degradation’ is “the definition of resilience.”

Network News: Updates from the Filecoin Sanctuary in Davos

Hosted by Filecoin Foundation and brought to you by CNBC, the Filecoin Sanctuary in Davos brought together the world’s brightest minds across business, government, and technology to discuss the future of the decentralized web. 

Over the course of the week, Filecoin Foundation established the Filecoin project’s value as a vital piece of infrastructure for the next generation of the web. We welcomed more than 100 speakers to our stage, including President of France Emmanuel Macron, Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry, H.M. Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, CFTC Commissioner Caroline Pham, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, Wikipedia Cofounder Jimmy Wales, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Signal President Meredith Whittaker, members of U.S. Congress, members of Ukrainian Parliament, and the CEOs of global companies like IKEA and Chanel, as well as many other global leaders.

From climate change, to protecting human rights, to preserving truth in an age of AI, these brilliant speakers addressed today’s most urgent global challenges. Across these discussions, a key theme emerged: the power of decentralized tools and technologies to promote transparency and advance positive change.  

Thank you to the thousands of attendees who joined us on the ground in Davos to learn more about the benefits of the Filecoin network and the projects across our ecosystem that are working together to build the next generation of the web. 

Follow Filecoin Foundation on X for our latest event updates, and check out our Davos session videos on YouTube.

Build With Us 

New speakers have been announced for the Social Impact Summit, co-hosted by FFDW and Blockchain Law for Social Good Center. Join Sheila Warren, Chief Executive Officer of the Crypto Council for Innovation; Rainey Reitman, Board President of Freedom of the Press Foundation; George Oates, Cofounder and Executive Director of the Flickr Foundation, and more leading voices across human rights, law, policy, and technology at the University of San Francisco. Learn how decentralized technology can be a catalyst for societal change, highlighted by real-world examples of tech helping build stronger, more resilient communities, economies, and societies. Register now. 

See you at ETHDenver! Filecoin Foundation will return to ETHDenver from February 29 through March 3. Join us as we dive into the vibrant ecosystem surrounding the Filecoin Virtual Machine and the larger Filecoin ecosystem to spotlight our builder community, offer demos, and host talks. Find us on the show floor - and if you are interested in giving a talk or demo at the Filecoin Foundation booth, fill out this form by Feb. 13.

What's in store for 2024? Check out the events we’ll be hosting, sponsoring, and supporting, and learn how you can get involved. From Orbit meetups to major events, FF events are some of the best opportunities to learn, build, and network with fellow builders across the Filecoin community. Join Filecoin Foundation on the ground at events around the globe in 2024.

Filecoin Ecosystem Explorer Spotlight 

Banyan

Banyan is making decentralized, content-addressed storage accessible for enterprise clients on the Filecoin network, with a focus on user-controlled privacy and verifiability. The company develops practical, end-to-end encrypted, decentralized storage solutions that harness the power of the Filecoin protocol. Banyan offers both hot and cold storage options for users with significant amounts of data, leveraging both Filecoin’s network of storage providers and its cryptographic proofs of storage to give consumers confidence in the continued security and longevity of their data. Banyan recently announced the Banyan MVP is now in Open Beta, offering encrypted, private, and decentralized file storage with a great UX. 

Governance 

The first pre-scheduled upgrade arrives on mainnet on March 18, 2024. The Filecoin network is set for a significant milestone with the upcoming nv22 Dragon Upgrade, aligning with our commitment to structured, pre-scheduled upgrades. For detailed insights and a comprehensive understanding of the upgrade, visit the governance Github. To stay informed about future upgrades and their schedules, refer to the new Pre-Scheduled Upgrade Calendar. 

Don’t miss FF’s community governance meetings! Make sure you are signed up for our monthly Community Governance Calls using the new calendar system. This is different from the regular Fil+ Notary Governance Calls.