Reports said that a Bitcoiner in Brazil has beamed the blockchain from space. Alessandro Cecere, product manager at Ledn and a Venezuelan national, has established the purported first Bitcoin (BTC) satellite full node in Brazil.
It has been reported that the full satellite node that Cecere has established downloads the Bitcoin blockchain directly from the Blockstream Satellite Network, negating the need for a reliable internet connection. It’s a small step for Bitcoin’s web of nodes but a giant leap for Bitcoin adoption, evincing that those in remote or hard-to-reach areas could run nodes.
However, a refresher for those new to nodes: A Bitcoin full node is software that continuously monitors the blockchain and its complete transaction history. A full node prohibits non-legitimate transactions and thwarts attempts to spend Bitcoin twice, known as a “double-spend.” Cecere explains that nodes “grant their owners decentralized access to the only uncensorable monetary network that we know of today.”
The report said that up until 2020, configuring a Bitcoin node (sometimes called a Bitcoin peer, as Bitcoin is a “peer-to-peer version of electronic cash”) was wholly dependent on local internet providers. Thanks to upgrades in Bitcoin company Blockstream’s Satellite Network, Bitcoin believers around the world can download a full node without an internet connection.
Cecere explains:
“The use case for Satellite Full Nodes could not be brighter. A few offline access points of these can fully connect remote communities to Bitcoin, even ones without prior internet access.”
Thus, there is a compelling case for satellite full nodes, particularly in countries that struggle with unstable governments, unreliable internet connections, and weak digital infrastructure. In effect, a satellite full node can help more emerging countries and individuals without internet connections contribute and eventually participate in the Bitcoin network.
Source: Cointelegraph