Villanova University made it to space on Nov. 11 when its mini-satellite was launched from SpaceX Transporter 9, writes Hayden Mitman and Matt DeLucia for NBC 10 Philadelphia.  

The Villanova mini-satellite, designed to run experiments on blockchain technology, was created in a project involving a Villanova professor and a graduate from the university.

Information from the first-of-its-kind study looks at blockchain technology for inter-satellite transactions.

“It’s still hard for me to realize that I’m actually doing this,” Peter Glasser, a former engineering student at Villanova, said.

The idea is to see if satellites can work together, with one satellite transacting information with another satellite and enriching that data, explained Hasshi Sudler, an Adjust Professor of Cybersecurity at Villanova.

The satellite will be in orbit for four years. It will allow researchers to conduct experiments investigating whether a blockchain network can share data between satellites.

Most people recognize the word blockchain from cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin.

“It’s important to us is that it is able to kind of store information quite reliably,” said Glasser. “We live in a digital age where security matters a lot and blockchain allows us to secure not just currency but any information software, data.”

The satellite took two years to construct.

Find out more about Villanova’s mini-satellite at msn.com.

The Nov. 11 launch with payload that included the Villanova mini-satellite.