In an unprecedented leap into the cosmos, Bitcoin has hitched a ride to the moon, nestled within the cargo of the Vulcan Centaur rocket alongside astronauts.
Sponsored by crypto derivatives exchange BitMEX, this voyage marks the physical journey of a crypto wallet containing at least 1 BTC, slated to touch down on the lunar surface by mid-February.
BitMEX revealed this cosmic odyssey on May 18, 2023, announcing the physical BTC’s inclusion in the lunar payload.
The wallet, bearing a public vanity address, invites additional Bitcoin contributions from the public and awaits redemption by the first soul who takes the lunar trip.
After departing from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the Peregrine-1 spacecraft, under the guardianship of Astrobotic Technology, carries both the physical Bitcoin and the space crew.
If all goes according to plan, this celestial vehicle is poised for lunar touchdown on February 23.
Named after the swift peregrine falcon, Peregrine Mission One marks the United States’ return to lunar landings since the historic Apollo program first graced the moon’s surface in 1969.
In contrast, the proposed Bitcoin-backed stablecoin by Arthur Hayes, known as the Satoshi Nakamoto Dollar (NUSD), initially surfaced in March 2023 but seemingly has not progressed further.
Hayes aimed to create a stablecoin dissociated from the US dollar and traditional banking systems. NUSD was envisioned as a fiat tokenization service absent in traditional banking, posing a potential threat to the banking sector’s enormous revenue from transaction fees and currency exchanges.
While Hayes intended for the stablecoin to bridge the gap between centralized finance and DeFi, no official launch of NUSD has occurred, in stark contrast to the successful Bitcoin lunar expedition underway.
With this said, this groundbreaking leap to transport Bitcoin to the lunar surface, BitMEX’s cosmic venture not only embodies the soaring ambitions of the crypto sphere but also hints at the potential for a decentralized financial future that transcends earthly boundaries.
