Arweave Goes to the Moon: Genesis Block to Be Preserved on Lunar Surface

Arweave Genesis Block Stored as Synthetic DNA Inside a Lunar Lander

Arweave Goes to the Moon: Genesis Block to Be Preserved on Lunar Surface

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arweave@strangebrewstrategies.com

Arweave, the world's first truly permanent storage network, is headed to the moon: the Arweave Genesis Block will be transported in molecular storage based on synthetic DNA, sent on January 15th aboard a lunar lander that will deploy the Genesis Block on the surface of the moon. There, the Genesis Block will stay preserved for the remainder of human history.

Arweave’s Genesis Block is being stored as a form of synthetic DNA produced by molecular technology company Iridia and shipped aboard a lunar lander through space exploration firm LifeShip. Iridia’s molecular technology based on synthetic DNA can redefine data storage by delivering orders-of-magnitude gains in density and durability – capable of lasting for millennia – while significantly reducing energy requirements, making it especially ideal for archival applications.

Inside the lunar lander will be a small metal pyramid in which Arweave’s Genesis Block is contained. Because the lunar surface offers far greater stability than Earth’s, the Genesis Block will remain undisturbed by weather and other natural phenomena for millennia to come. Secured within the pyramid’s outer casing and fortified by Iridia’s advanced shielded nanotechnology, scientists project the molecular storage will last for millennia and serve as an unprecedented new type of lunar archive for humanity.

“The Genesis Block is where Arweave's mission to permanently store the world's knowledge and history began. Early backers of the network in its 2017 crowdsale were able to choose a message in the network's first block. Many wrote messages of hope and enthusiasm for where our community's venture would lead. Today, nearly eight years and 12.3 billion pieces of stored data later, a surprising twist in the story: Their messages literally – as well as figuratively – went to the moon,” said Sam Williams, founder of Forward Research and Arweave.

“On a more serious note, this playful venture highlights something much more important: The use of Arweave in testing new storage technologies – in this case, molecular storage. Just as Bitcoin helped lead a dramatic reduction in costs for the production of ASIC computation devices, we have always desired that Arweave will do the same for data storage. Permissionless networks provide a fertile ground for such experimentation, and today we are starting to see the first signs of this trend beginning to play out on Arweave.”

Forward Research, a venture software development company dedicated to growing the Arweave ecosystem, and Iridia share the common goal of preserving humanity’s information – for Arweave through its unique blockweave decentralized storage, and for Iridia through its novel molecular storage technology, another groundbreaking method for ensuring our collective knowledge is safeguarded for future generations.

“By collaborating with Arweave and LifeShip, we’re taking a visionary step toward proving out a novel way of preserving humanity’s most critical data far into the future,” said Buck Watia, Vice President of Product and Commercial at Iridia. “Our molecular technology isn’t just about storage – it’s about safeguarding knowledge for generations to come and doing so in a way that transcends the boundaries of time, space, and even imagination.”

About Forward Research

Forward Research is a venture software development company dedicated to growing the Arweave ecosystem. We aim to foster a decentralized web where user rights are protected and data is permanently stored.

Founded and led by Sam Williams, the founder of the Arweave Protocol, Forward Research looks to incubate projects that expand Arweave adoption and use cases. We believe that Arweave's unique approach to data storage and its potential for creating truly decentralized applications will revolutionize the way we interact with the internet.

About Iridia

Iridia stands at the forefront of molecular technology, redefining data storage while also safeguarding humanity’s most critical assets and supply chains. By integrating Web3 data with physical products, Iridia delivers unparalleled authenticity, traceability, and security. For more information, please visit Iridia.com.

About LifeShip

LifeShip is a community-powered space mission dedicated to spreading life and the stories of humanity across space. Starting with seed banks and knowledge archives on the moon, LifeShip empowers everyone to be part of humanity’s cosmic journey. Together, we’re creating a flourishing future for life beyond Earth.