Proof-of-Transit Timestamping could turn Bitcoin into the first interplanetary currency
They say this method could make it possible to send Bitcoin payments from Earth to Mars in as little as three minutes using existing satellite and relay technology.
The idea is simple but powerful. Instead of sending a Bitcoin transaction in one straight line across millions of kilometers, the payment would “hop” between different checkpoints. These could be antennas on Earth, satellites orbiting the planet, or even a relay near the Moon.
At every stop, the transaction gets a digital stamp showing when it arrived and when it left. By the time it reaches Mars, the record shows a full path of its journey, like a passport filled with stamps. Puente explained that this “receipt layer” could sit on top of the Bitcoin and Lightning networks, using infrastructure from NASA or providers like Starlink.
The technology could overcome some of the delays and challenges that make interplanetary communication difficult. On average, Lightning payments would take around 12 to 15 minutes to reach Mars, while regular Bitcoin transactions would still take about 10 minutes plus the signal delay.
Puente added that problems like the blackout period, when Mars and Earth lose direct contact every two years, could be solved with satellites routing around the Sun. While no one is living on Mars yet, the concept makes it possible to imagine a future where Bitcoin is the standard currency between planets. Elon Musk has spoken about the need for a neutral money system for Mars, and PoTT could be the missing link to make that vision real.
Bitcoin already proved it can operate beyond Earth when Blockstream connected it to satellites in 2018 and SpaceChain sent a transaction from the International Space Station in 2020. But extending it to Mars pushes the idea of a truly borderless currency to its extreme.
If humans build settlements on other planets, they will need a money system that no single government controls. Bitcoin, combined with PoTT, is being positioned as that system. Even if Mars is still years away, the research highlights how far the conversation about digital money has come; from the internet, to orbit, and now, to other worlds.
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