Ethereum KZG Ceremony Welcomes Cryptographic Contributions from Outer Space

The Cosmic Contribution

In a groundbreaking twist to the Ethereum KZG ceremony, contributions of randomness have reached a stratospheric level—literally! With over 83,000 inputs of entropy so far, the ceremony now receives an out-of-this-world participant: a satellite named Crypto2, brought to you by the bright minds of Cryptosat. This cosmic donor beamed down its contribution on April 4 at 6 a.m. UTC, from a comfortable orbit some 550 kilometers above our heads.

Why Entropy from Space?

So, why is a satellite dropping randomness into the Ethereum ring? According to Yan Michalevsky, co-founder of Cryptosat, the aim is to produce “cryptographic parameters” that remain squeaky clean, avoiding what he calls “toxic waste.” No, we’re not talking about that questionable burrito you had last night; this waste includes any intermediate data that should ideally be discarded and kept under wraps. If this data were to leak, it could jeopardize Ethereum’s next phase of growth. Michalevsky adds, “Generating these parameters in a physically isolated environment has a lot of merit,” and who could argue with that?

The Space Tech Behind It

Crypto2 operates with a Verifiable Random Beacon service, creating entropy straight from its satellite seat. The beautiful part is that each beacon is signed by Crypto2 itself and can be checked using the public key that was cooked up in the chilly vacuum of space. For those worried about cosmic privacy, Michalevsky reassures us: “We don’t access the internals of the satellite or the data generated—it plays a full-on secret-keeping role.”

Ethereum’s Evolution and Satellite Power

The Ethereum Foundation is tapping into contributions from entities like Cryptosat to strengthen security as the platform prepares for the much-anticipated Shanghai upgrade on April 12. Interestingly, Crypto2 is no ordinary satellite; it packs a whopping 30 times the computing power of its predecessor, Crypto1, which launched back in May. If space is indeed the final frontier, then Crypto2 leads the charge for bulletproof cryptography among the stars!