Spacecoin is the first DePIN powered by nanosatellites. The network delivers permissionless and censorship-resistant global internet access.
Spacecoin has launched two satellite missions into orbit to date. The first mission launched a single satellite in December 2024, while the second mission took place in November 2025 and launched three satellites.
On Jan. 23, 2026, SPACE launched as Spacecoin’s native token. SPACE is used for bandwidth payments and settlement, and enables broader participation by allowing operators to monetize bandwidth and users to access network services without traditional intermediaries.
Spacecoin is built on the Creditcoin blockchain, allowing it to support flexible payment models via the Credal onchain credit system for improved affordability in low-income regions.
Spacecoin is expanding beyond satellite infrastructure with the introduction of SpaceRouter, a residential proxy network designed to support AI agents. This expands Spacecoin beyond satellite-based connectivity into AI-agent-related network services.
Primer
Spacecoin (SPACE) is a DePIN project building a blockchain-coordinated network of nanosatellites to deliver internet connectivity. Instead of operating as a vertically integrated satellite internet provider, Spacecoin is designed as an open network where multiple satellite operators can contribute bandwidth. This approach differs from traditional satellite internet models that rely on a single operator deploying and controlling a full constellation.
The project plans to open-source its satellite design, which allows third parties, including operators with existing satellites in orbit, to integrate into the network. These satellites can route data and earn revenue by selling unused bandwidth through Spacecoin’s coordination layer. Because satellites only cover specific regions at a given time, a portion of their capacity often goes underutilized. Spacecoin aims to aggregate this excess capacity into a shared network rather than relying solely on deploying a large proprietary constellation. This model introduces a shared economic layer for satellite bandwidth, where operators can monetize excess capacity and users can access connectivity.
Spacecoin has launched two satellite missions to date to test this model. These internally developed satellites were used to validate the network’s communication and coordination model before expanding to third-party participation.
Founded in 2024 by Tae Oh, who previously created Gluwa and Creditcoin, the project focuses on expanding connectivity and financial access in underserved regions. As of February 2026, Spacecoin has active pilot programs and agreements in Kenya, Nigeria, Indonesia, and Cambodia.
Spacecoin uses Creditcoin as its coordination and settlement layer. The SPACE token is deployed across multiple networks, including Ethereum and BNB Chain, to support cross-chain payments. The project is also exploring additional services such as privacy-preserving messaging and alternative access layers through a partnership with Midnight.
Traditional internet relies on expensive ground infrastructure, which leaves remote, rural, or geopolitically restricted areas underserved. Spacecoin aims to deliver affordable connectivity at approximately $2 per month in emerging markets such as Nigeria and Indonesia, using the native SPACE token for payments, so users can connect without banks or traditional ISPs. To achieve this, Spacecoin combines a satellite constellation with the Spacecoin protocol on Earth to enable tamper-resistant data handling and connectivity.
LEO Satellite Constellation
Spacecoin deploys nanosatellites known as CubeSats into low-Earth orbit (LEO) to provide connectivity. CubeSats are modular satellites built in standardized unit sizes like 1U, 6U, 8U, or 16U that use common structural frames and off-the-shelf components, which reduces manufacturing time and lowers production costs compared to custom-built spacecraft. LEO operations offer materially lower latency than geostationary systems and allow coverage to expand in stages as new satellites join the constellation.
Spacecoin has utilized SpaceX rideshare missions to launch satellites into orbit, including Bandwagon-2 for CTC-0 and Transporter-15 for CTC-1. This approach bundles dozens of separate payloads from multiple companies onto a single Falcon 9 rocket, slashing the launch cost per satellite and allowing the team to iterate faster by testing new satellites every few months rather than waiting years for a dedicated launch.
Spacecoin has launched two satellite missions to date. CTC-0 launched on Dec. 24, 2024, as an 8U CubeSat and was used to test the company’s satellite communications systems and its ability to transmit blockchain data from orbit. CTC-1 reached orbit on Nov. 28, 2025, and deployed three 16U CubeSats, marking the project’s first multi-satellite deployment.
Proof of Location
The CTC-1 constellation introduced inter-satellite handoffs and validated Proof of Location, Spacecoin’s geospatial verification system, patented in June 2025. Proof of Location enables trustless location attestations to prevent GPS spoofing and supports permissionless participation by independent satellite operators.
Satellites in the CTC-1 constellation act as nodes and measure their location using GPS, then determine distances to other nodes via radio frequency signal round-trip times. This method calculates precise distances based on the speed of light, without needing perfectly synchronized clocks. The mutual distance-checking creates a network of verifiable "lightspheres,” enabling triangulation of exact locations which are then immutably recorded onchain.
Creditcoin
Spacecoin uses Creditcoin as its coordination and settlement layer, which consists of two components. The original Substrate-based Creditcoin chain uses a nominated proof-of-stake (NPoS) consensus mechanism and is responsible for validator coordination and network security. In parallel, Spacecoin is built on a separate Creditcoin EVM-compatible Layer-1 chain, where smart contracts, applications, and protocol logic are deployed.
A key feature of this architecture is Creditcoin’s Universal Smart Contract (USC) framework, which allows smart contracts to interact across multiple blockchain networks without relying on centralized bridges or oracle operators. This enables cross-chain payments, allowing users holding assets on networks such as Ethereum, BNB Chain, or Solana to pay for bandwidth.
Within the Spacecoin protocol, smart contracts coordinate core bandwidth market functions, including user requests for data transmission and verification of service fulfillment by satellite operators. All service interactions are recorded and validated onchain, ensuring transparent settlement between users and network participants.
Payment and Settlement Flow
Spacecoin’s native SPACE token is primarily used for bandwidth access and transaction settlement. When a user requests connectivity or data transmission, SPACE tokens are locked into an escrow smart contract on Creditcoin. Satellite operators, acting as transmitters, route the data through Spacecoin’s LEO satellite infrastructure.
Once transmission is completed, the user provides a cryptographic acknowledgment (ACK) confirming successful delivery. The satellite operator then signs the ACK and submits it to Creditcoin, and a smart contract verifies the signature, matches it to the original request, and checks for nonce uniqueness. Upon successful verification, the escrowed SPACE tokens are released automatically to the operator.
This escrow-based design aims to mitigate counterparty risk, prevent unpaid service consumption, and provide cryptographic assurance for each transmission event.
Credal Integration
Spacecoin uses Credal, Creditcoin’s onchain credit system, to support flexible payment models. Through Credal, users can access buy now, pay later (BNPL) options for internet fees, improving affordability in low-income regions. When users access bandwidth under a financed arrangement, a credit agreement is recorded onchain, documenting the borrower, service provider, repayment terms, and transaction references. As repayments are made, an auditable payment history is created, allowing users to build verifiable onchain credit profiles without requiring a bank account. This credit data may support future access to financial services and broader economic inclusion for users in underserved regions.
SpaceRouter
In addition to its satellite network, Spacecoin has introduced SpaceRouter, a residential proxy network for AI agents. It routes internet traffic through residential IP addresses contributed by node operators, allowing AI-agent traffic to originate from residential internet connections rather than datacenter IPs.
Websites commonly block or rate-limit traffic from datacenter IP addresses, which can restrict AI agents from performing automated, multi-step tasks across web interfaces. SpaceRouter routes requests through residential connections to reduce the likelihood of that traffic being blocked or rate-limited.
This routing depends on node operators running client software on devices connected to residential internet service providers, making their bandwidth and IP addresses available to the network. When a request is submitted, a gateway and coordination layer selects an operator based on availability and location, then routes traffic through that operator’s connection to the target website.
Planned Features
Spacecoin has outlined several planned features designed to expand user access and enhance network performance:
Retail Access: End users will obtain Spacecoin-enabled connectivity through local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and pay in fiat currency. These ISPs settle network usage costs in the SPACE token to procure bandwidth capacity from the underlying network.
Direct Connectivity: Enterprises and advanced users will be able to access the network directly by operating their own ground stations and transacting in SPACE for bandwidth and routing services.
Bandwidth Prioritization: The network plans to support a premium allocation model in which users can pay for prioritized bandwidth, enabling higher transmission priority relative to other traffic.
SpaceRouter Node Incentives: Spacecoin plans to introduce staking-based rewards for SpaceRouter node operators and integrate Creditcoin infrastructure to support financing mechanisms that may lower upfront participation costs for residential node operators.
Optical Interlinks: The architecture aims to incorporate optical inter-satellite links alongside radio frequency communication, enabling direct satellite-to-satellite data transmission and reducing dependence on ground relay infrastructure.
Private Messaging: Through its partnership with Midnight, Spacecoin plans to integrate a peer-to-peer messaging platform leveraging ZKPs to support end-to-end encryption, metadata protection, and censorship-resistant communications.
Spacecoin also plans to deploy an initial backbone layer before expanding into a broader interoperable ecosystem. Founder Tae Oh has stated that the protocol and satellite architecture will be open-sourced, enabling third-party satellite operators to integrate permissionlessly. Under this model, operators maintain continuous access to their satellites through the shared mesh network, monetize unused capacity, and earn SPACE tokens for relaying network traffic.
Closing Summary
Spacecoin has progressed from an early satellite connectivity concept into a blockchain-coordinated bandwidth network anchored by an operational LEO nanosatellite constellation and an onchain economic layer. The CTC-0 mission validated core satellite communication capabilities, while CTC-1 expanded the constellation through multi-satellite deployment and introduced Proof of Location.
The January 2026 launch of the SPACE token established the network’s economic layer, providing a standard unit for bandwidth payments, settlement, and operator incentives. The protocol is designed to support affordable connectivity in underserved and geo-restricted regions, particularly through Creditcoin’s Credal system, which enables buy now, pay later access and the creation of verifiable onchain credit histories.
In parallel, Spacecoin is developing additional services such as SpaceRouter, which operate independently of the satellite network and expand the set of use cases for the protocol beyond connectivity.
Looking ahead, the project’s roadmap includes scaling the satellite constellation, incorporating optical inter-satellite links, expanding participation from third-party satellite operators, implementing incentives for SpaceRouter node operators, and enabling additional services such as bandwidth prioritization and privacy-preserving communications. Whether Spacecoin can evolve beyond early demonstrations will depend on its ability to scale the constellation, attract external participation, and convert early deployments into sustained demand for a blockchain-coordinated alternative to traditional satellite ISPs.
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