🚀 Bitcoin Could Go Interplanetary: New “Proof-of-Transit Timestamping” May Send BTC to Mars in Minutes

[encrypted]

A new white paper from tech entrepreneur Jose E. Puente and colleague Carlos Puente outlines how Bitcoin transactions might one day zip from Earth to Mars in as little as three minutes—using technology that largely exists today.

How “Proof-of-Transit Timestamping” (PoTT) Works

Layer on Bitcoin & Lightning: PoTT acts as a receipt layer on top of the Bitcoin blockchain and the Lightning Network.

Hops and Stamps: A transaction would hop through ground antennas, satellites, or lunar relays. Each relay stamps the packet with time-in and time-out data—like a passport getting stamped at every border.

Transparent Path: By the time a payment lands on Mars, every stop is verifiable, ensuring security and accountability.

Puente explains:

“The moment there’s a stable Earth–Mars link, PoTT can ride on top, making Bitcoin the first currency to operate cleanly across planets.”

Speed and Reliability

Fast transfers: Lightning-based payments could arrive on Mars in 3–22 minutes, depending on orbital distance.

Solar blackout workaround: PoTT envisions relay satellites to route around the Sun during the two-week communication blackout that happens every 26 months.

️ Building on Space-Bitcoin History

Blockstream satellites (2018): Enabled Bitcoin broadcasts from space.

SpaceChain ISS transaction (2020): Proved BTC can be sent and confirmed off Earth.

But to complete a Mars transaction, someone—or some AI—must actually be on Mars to receive it.

️ Why Bitcoin Fits an Interplanetary Economy

Open and neutral: No single government or company controls it.

Lightning scalability: Solves Elon Musk’s concern over Bitcoin’s 10-minute block time.

Planet-agnostic: PoTT’s “travel receipts” could work for the Moon or any other planet within a star’s habitable zone.

Puente puts it simply:

“If we’re serious about a multi-planet civilization, we need an open, neutral monetary base. PoTT plus Lightning delivers local speed with global—and interplanetary—settlement.”

🪐 The Road Ahead

SpaceX aims for a human presence on Mars by 2026, but until someone is there to accept crypto, PoTT remains a near-term demo. Still, Puente says tests can start now using simulated Mars delays and existing satellite links like NASA’s optical relays or Starlink.

Takeaway:
PoTT could turn Bitcoin into the first truly interplanetary currency, enabling instant commerce between Earth, the Moon, and Mars. As humanity prepares for a multi-planet future, blockchain might not just stay on Earth—it could follow us across the solar system.