Cryptocurrency mining company Miner One sent bitcoin mining equipment into the Earth’s upper stratosphere as a symbol of bitcoin’s potential in 2018.
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May 10th, 2018. Cryptocurrency mining company Miner One successfully sent specially-assembled bitcoin mining equipment to the edge of space, i.e., to over 35,000 meters (100,000 feet), to perform the data processing operations known as “bitcoin mining”.
You can see the video here.
The company, currently nearing the end of its ICO, during which it is expecting to raise US $10 million to build a cutting-edge, professionally-managed cryptocurrency mining facility, wants Space Miner One to symbolize the sky-high potential of bitcoin and bitcoin mining.
“We are bullish on bitcoin because it remains the world’s most popular and proven application of blockchain technology,” says Miner One CEO and 20-year data center industry veteran Pranas Slusnys. “We see growing interest and adoption, despite recent market doldrums.”
Venture capitalist Tim Draper agrees. Draper is known for correctly predicting in 2014 that bitcoin would rise to $1,000 in 2016, and now believes bitcoin will go to $250,000 by 2022.
“This [bitcoin] is bigger than the internet. It’s bigger than the Iron Age, the Renaissance. It’s bigger than the Industrial Revolution. This affects the entire world and it’s going to be affected in a faster and more prevalent way than you ever imagined. I believe that there will be a point at which you will no longer really want any of the fiat currency,” Draper boldly predicts.
How Did Miner One Do It?
Miner One’s team linked a Raspberry Pi 3 microcomputer, two USB bitcoin miners, a satellite phone, and a power supply to create the beating heart of Space Miner One. A symbolic souvenir bitcoin medallion for one lucky winner of the Miner One Sweepstakes was added as payload. In addition to the mining equipment, Space Miner One also carried navigation and tracking devices with an independent power supply so that the craft could be tracked and recovered.
Space Miner One took off into the blue sky on a clear Monday morning (April 30, 2018) from a field in the geographical center of Lithuania, lifted into the upper stratosphere by a hydrogen-filled latex balloon.
As the capsule passed through the troposphere, Space Miner One was connected online through the satellite phone and performing mining operations throughout. While rising, Space Miner One’s balloon was continuously expanding, due to falling atmospheric pressure, and reached over 10 meters in diameter as it ascended into the stratosphere. Having reached the height of its journey at more than 100,000 feet (35,000 meters), internal pressure caused the balloon to explode and the craft parachuted safely back to Earth.
On the ground, Space Miner One’s mobile mission control unit used the craft’s telemetry system to accurately pinpoint the landing location. Mission control confirmed that the trajectory was just as planned as Space Miner One landed successfully 50-60 km from the launch site unscathed.
“I am very happy that we reached 35,000 without a hitch, performing mining operations throughout,” said Miner One CEO Pranas Slusnys. “We can say we really took bitcoin to 35,000 – hopefully, as a prelude to bitcoin hitting 35,000 in the markets! Now, we are eager to start mining here on Earth, particularly with bitcoin and ether rebounding.”
ABOUT MINER ONE
Miner One is a cutting-edge, crowdfunded cryptocurrency mining operation being built and managed by a team of data center industry experts and professionals on behalf of the Miner One Community. Miner One MIO Tokens secure Community members a share in the output. Find out more: www.minerone.io.
