Researchers at New York University’s Courant Institute have created a new blockchain called Bounce. Bounce uses satellites to organize transactions. In Bounce, many blocks go to a satellite. The satellite puts them in order and sends them back. This method makes Bounce very fast and secure. A paper published in MDPI Network describes Bounce.

In a New York University press release, research leader Dennis Shasha explains the benefits. Satellites are hard to reach, which keeps them safe from attacks. Side-channel attacks try to steal information by watching how a system works. Satellites also resist tampering, meaning no one can easily change their programming. Shasha adds that Bounce’s satellite program is simple. It gets stored in read-only memory, a type of storage that can’t be changed, stopping harmful software attacks.

Shasha also notes some challenges. He mentions that using Bounce in the real world might be tricky. Still, Bounce offers a starting point for building better blockchain systems. It aims to be fast, energy-saving, and available worldwide.

How Bounce performs better

Bounce handles over five million transactions every two seconds. It confirms transactions in three to ten seconds. This speed, called throughput, is 30 to 100 times better than Solana, a fast blockchain system. Solana is known for its quick processing.

Bounce saves energy too. It uses less than 1/10th of a joule per transaction. Solana needs over 1,000 joules per transaction. Bitcoin, which processes fewer than 100 transactions per second, uses over one million joules per transaction.

Satellites in Bounce divide time into slots. Each satellite organizes blocks in its slot. This stops forks, when a blockchain splits into separate chains. Forks can lead to double-spending, using the same money twice.

Researchers tested Bounce using CloudLab, a platform for building and testing new computing systems. They measured satellite communication times with the International Space Station. NYU Wireless, a research center at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, supported the work.

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