Skymapper library

The landscape of space exploration is undergoing a major transformation as private investment drives a booming "New Space" economy, projected to reach $1.8 trillion by 2035. This shift is exemplified by the privately funded Lazuli Space Telescope, which demonstrates how philanthropic ventures can rival government missions in scope and speed. However, this transition raises critical questions about the future of scientific data ownership and whether the spirit of open, public discovery can be maintained in an era of privatized research.

The "DePIN Data Revolution" is shifting critical infrastructure away from centralized tech giants toward resilient, community-owned networks, a model SkyMapper is applying to space exploration. By connecting telescopes through the SkyBridge device, SkyMapper creates a decentralized, real-time map of the sky where users earn rewards for contributing data to a global scientific instrument. This approach utilizes blockchain technology to ensure all images are immutable and verified, moving the field from data monopolies to an era of data sovereignty.

While the James Webb Space Telescope provides a window into the ancient universe, SkyMapper focuses on the present by utilizing a decentralized global network to map the dynamic sky in real-time. Through partnerships with the SETI Institute and Unistellar, the initiative mobilizes citizen scientists to generate valuable data on events like meteor showers and asteroids that professional observatories might miss. This collaborative approach transforms individuals from passive observers into active participants who help catalogue the cosmos alongside major scientific efforts.

The global satellite industry is undergoing an unprecedented transformation, driven by mega-constellations and a race for low Earth orbit (LEO). Yet, as new satellites soar, an invisible, growing crisis threatens every mission: the sky is becoming dangerously crowded. This is the backdrop against which SkyMapper is rapidly attracting the attention of space operators. By merging community-powered hardware with sophisticated AI, SkyMapper is building the first real-time, decentralized map of the sky, a critical infrastructure layer the $500 billion space economy desperately needs. Here is why this new approach is poised to revolutionize Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and how it aligns perfectly with the future of AI in the satellite sector.‍

Astronomy has entered a new era where artificial intelligence (AI) and interconnected global infrastructure, like intelligent telescope networks, are essential for processing the massive, daily data torrent from modern observatories. AI accelerates discovery by monitoring data streams, classifying objects, and instantly flagging events that trigger follow-up observations across a distributed, coordinated network. Projects like SkyMapper leverage this approach to eliminate data silos, enable rapid, multi-instrument campaigns, and democratize participation in scientific discovery for everyone from citizen scientists to professional agencies.

Supernovas are powerful, catastrophic stellar explosions that occur roughly every second across the universe, serving as the primary source for creating essential heavy elements like iron and calcium. While the James Webb Space Telescope focuses on "cosmic archaeology" by detecting the oldest supernovas in the distant, early universe, the SkyMapper network mobilizes citizen scientists to monitor similar transient events. This collaborative power was recently demonstrated by the detection of Supernova SN2025rbs by one of our citizen scientists, where observations were successfully integrated with professional data to track the explosion's evolution.

A new Nature study has revealed that 96% of images from future space telescopes could be ruined by the light trails of low-Earth orbit satellites. This threat to astronomy and space safety highlights the urgent need for precise, real-time tracking of orbital objects. SkyMapper, a decentralized telescope network, addresses this challenge by providing continuous satellite tracking and collision risk assessment, enabling astronomers to plan their observations around the satellite traffic.

SkyMapper and Akave Cloud are partnering to integrate a global, decentralized telescope network with blockchain-based storage, creating a verifiable and immutable record of the sky. By utilizing Akave's cryptographic provenance and erasure-coded redundancy, the collaboration ensures that every image captured by SkyMapper's automated devices is tamper-proof and scientifically auditable. This decentralized infrastructure shifts astronomy from a model of institutional trust to one of demonstrable proof, providing researchers and educators with durable, gatekeeper-free access to real-time data.

A major outage at Cloudflare, the global network that keeps countless websites running, has caused widespread disruption, taking down platforms like X (formerly Twitter), ChatGPT, and more. It’s a stark reminder, much like the recent AWS outage, of how fragile our centralized digital infrastructure can be. It is time to decentralize data.

The observation of supernova SN 2024ggi provided a detailed view of a star's shock wave breakout but highlighted the difficulty in capturing fleeting cosmic phenomena due to observation delays. The SkyMapper project proposes a solution: a globally distributed, automated sky-monitoring network designed for near-instantaneous, "zero-hour" capture of stellar explosions' earliest moments.

The newly confirmed quasi-satellite, Arjuna 2025 PN7, is an Earth-sized asteroid that orbits the Sun in near-perfect synchronicity with Earth, maintaining a stable, decades-long orbital resonance that offers a unique subject for studying orbital dynamics.

The digital age promised unprecedented connectivity and efficiency, but it came with a hidden cost: fragility.

A Wired report exposed how unencrypted satellites are leaking sensitive military and corporate data, a failure of centralized systems. SkyMapper’s decentralized blockchain network solves this by making every observation verifiable, tamper-proof, and transparent, turning fragile trust into provable truth.

Get ready for a rare celestial show! From October 20–23, two comets, C/2025 R2 (SWAN) and C/2025 A6 (Lemmon), will shine alongside the Orionid meteor shower, offering a spectacular night-sky display.

As World Space Week honors humanity’s achievements in space exploration, SkyMapper joins the celebration by championing a new model of collaboration, one where citizen scientists, researchers, and institutions work together through decentralized, verifiable astronomy.

Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS is transforming space discovery. See how SkyMapper and global astronomers reveal its origins and rare composition.

Discover why Finland is an Astronomer’s hotspot for astronomy. From pristine dark skies to dedicated SkyMapper members, explore how local citizen scientists and global partnerships are shaping the future of real-time space discovery.

Discover SkyMapper highlights from the EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2025 in Helsinki, featuring talks on decentralized astronomy, asteroid monitoring, and collaborative planetary science with SETI and Unistellar.

SkyMapper expands its decentralized telescope network to Puerto Rico, boosting 24/7 space monitoring, satellite tracking & global research access.

Fiery skies are in store this November as the Southern and Northern Taurids, born from comet 2P/Encke, light up the night with spectacular fireballs.

SkyMapper explores how AI, blockchain, and a global network of telescopes are redefining trust in space data by merging decentralized technology with community-driven astronomy.