8 Unheard Insights About SpaceComputer (Our First Podcast!)
The SpaceComputer team is getting a lot more public about what we’re building, and what’s coming very soon.
For the first time since the project’s launch, SpaceComputer co-founder Daniel Exponent gave an in-depth interview, joining Tom Mitchelhill on the NGMI podcast to discuss his vision, our progress so far, and to reveal to the growing community some of his personal and professional background. The conversation covered a lot of ground (as satellites tend to do, orbiting the earth every ~1.5 hours).
Watch the full interview here
Here are 8 key insights shared:
1. Extending the World Computer to Space (Bitcoin → ETH → SpaceComputer)
The goal of SpaceComputer is to build public compute infrastructure in the space frontier—an evolution of the distributed computer model pioneered by Bitcoin and Ethereum:
“If we started with Bitcoin as the peer-to-peer electronic cash system… and then expanded with Ethereum to World Computer, here we essentially have an extension of it into the space frontier.”
2. A Discovery-Led Initiative
The project originally grew out of academic work on "SpaceTEE"—Trusted Execution Environments for satellites:
“Initially there were a couple of friends of mine that co-authored a paper called SpaceTEE… proposing the idea of satellites as platforms for computers that would provide high security guarantees.”
After successful experiments with early satellite launches, the team realized this could become a major new computing paradigm:
“Over time the more I got kind of invested in the problem… it became clear that there’s something big here.”
3. Real-World Applications Are Already in Orbit
Three SpaceComputer satellites have already launched. The first active service is cosmic true random number generation (ctRNG):
“One [satellite] is fully dedicated to cosmic true random number generation… very similar to what Chainlink used to have with VRF. You want a source of entropy—we use cosmic radiation, which is also tamper-proof.”
4. A Focus on Unique Space-Based Applications
Given current limits on space compute, the project is focusing on services uniquely suited to satellites:
“We’re not immediately rolling out something competing with Solana or MegaEth… it’s about uncovering unique applications relevant for the space environment.”
Future directions include secure MPC wallets and trusted compute services.
5. A Two-Tier Blockchain Architecture
The Blue Paper outlines a two-tier architecture:
“We look at the L1 in space as a capacity-constrained network… ultra-secure but relatively low throughput and high latency. Then, high-performance tasks are offloaded to an Earth-based L2.”
This hybrid model balances the strengths and limitations of space-based infrastructure.
6. Positioning for the Emerging Space Economy and Cosmic Entrepreneurship
As launch costs plummet and private actors enter space, SpaceComputer is preparing for a future decentralized space economy:
“There’s this prediction that launch cost will go below $100 per kilogram… You can think: instead of buying a car, you buy a satellite.”
The team aims to help set open standards for payments, compute marketplaces, and tokenization before the space economy becomes dominated by centralized actors:
“We want to start building standards before the industry is captivated by a few centralized players.”
7. Space-Based Data Centers and Beyond
Daniel discussed growing interest in space-based data centers — secure, isolated platforms for sensitive compute:
“One of the methods you hear a lot about is space-based data centers… because once you solve power and communication, that’s very compelling — you could have secure data centers in orbit rather than relying on physical locations.”
Though still early, he sees many future applications emerging as basic space infrastructure improves.
8. Founder Background: A Decade of Crypto Experience Fuelling the Vision
Daniel brings long experience in crypto, having engaged with Ethereum’s early community in 2013:
“The idea of Ethereum — a distributed Turing-complete compute network — was really captivating for me… I ended up diverging from my PhD in quantum computing to go full-time into crypto.”
This background gives the team a strong grounding in open systems and public infrastructure — values that now inform the vision for SpaceComputer.
Daniel’s NGMI appearance was the most frank and direct public communication by a SpaceComputer team member yet.
Much more is coming soon. Stay posted in the official Telegram chat.