Doge-1

DOGE-1 CubeSat is a small, lightweight satellite[9] that will be equipped with sensors and cameras to capture images and data of the lunar surface in order to improve our understanding of the lunar geology, environment and potential resources. Some images produced by this screen will be converted into non-fungible tokens (NFT). These tokens will help create revenue from the mission when they are auctioned off.[7]

The mission is important not only because it will be the first time a spacecraft has been funded entirely with cryptocurrency, but also because it could pave the way for future missions to the moon and beyond using this funding model. SpaceX's Elon Musk, in particular, plans to use DOGE-1 to demonstrate the utility of crypto in space.[10] SpaceX vice president of commercial sales Tom Ochinero said in a statement that DOGE-1 “will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary commerce.”[6]

One of the founders of Dogecoin, Jackson Palmer, was unhappy with the announcement of the DOGE-1 mission to launch. This is due both to his growing disdain for cryptocurrency and his reservations about Elon Musk’s intentions with Dogecoin. He and others believe that Elon Musk uses his Twitter platform to promote “crypto pyramid schemes[s].”[11] Other people are excited for this launch because of the prospects of crypto-funded space exploration and the likely increases of Dogecoin value. As the initial launch date of DOGE-1 approached, the value of Dogecoin increased 25.45% between November 21 and 28, 2022. This is likely due to the increase of attention towards the Dogecoin cryptocurrency as various news outlets and people with influence discussed the launch.[12]

DOGE-1 includes a space art display that hosts ad images that are then taken by a satellite-mounted camera and broadcast to Earth. The space art display is controlled using tokenized Xi Protocol claims[13][14] To control the image on the space display, five tokenized claims (Rho, Beta, Gamma, Kappa, and Xi), will be responsible for five parameters, which are height, width, brightness, hue, and placement time on the screen, respectively.[15] In structure, this may resemble an artboard, such as The Million Dollar Homepage or r/place.[16]

The launch of DOGE-1 was announced by Elon Musk on Twitter on May 9, 2021[17] as a rideshare on the Nova-C/IM-1 mission,[18][19] a joint mission between Intuitive Machines and NASA. The Nova-C mission has been repeatedly postponed by Intuitive Machines' launch provider SpaceX, which has also postponed the launch of DOGE-1.[20] As of May 2023, the launch of the Nova-C IM-1 mission is scheduled to take place in the third quarter of 2023.[21] On the website of Geometric Space, a subsidiary of Geometric Energy, the launch date of DOGE-1 is not currently indicated and is subject to change.