P-38: send messages via satellite with Lightning Network and Blockstream

With this application and a handful of satoshis, it is possible to send messages or documents by satellite anywhere in the world, to recipients without internet access. Provided they are equipped for it.

We no longer present the company Blocsktream, a major player in the Bitcoin ecosystem. It has many flagship projects to its credit, such as the Liquid Network and the Core-Lightning implementation of the LightNing Network protocol. And we would have almost forgotten that it also offers the service Blockstream Satellite which offers nothing less than being able to synchronize a Bitcoin node only by satellite and without an internet connection!
To do this, it is necessary to have the appropriate equipment and there are two solutions to achieve this: either order the complete kit to be installed from Blockstream, for a price of 500 dollars, payable in Bitcoin. Or assemble your own kit yourself thanks to the DIY instructions provided by Blockstream.
And in addition to this service, Blockstream also offers a web interface for sending messages or files via satellite that the owners of the kit will be able to receive, subject to the payment of a few satoshis by Lightning Network.

An application to facilitate transmissions

In this context, we can salute the initiative which led to the elaboration of theP-38 app. Named after the American WWII fighter, also known as the Lightning, P-38 simply uses the API made available by Blockstream to make sending these messages easier and more user-friendly. Running on PC and Macintosh, it offers the following features:

• Sending text messages or files, unencrypted or encrypted.
• Possibility to define encryption keys (in the “Private keys” tab) and to encrypt the message.
• Automatic calculation of the price to pay according to a defined threshold (1 milli-satoshi per byte is generally sufficient, with a minimum threshold of 1 satoshi).
• Show lightning bill to pay and show QR code to flash to pay lightning bill instantly.
• Storage of messages with detailed display and possible status refresh.
• Ability to decrypt messages or files received by satellite.

We note in particular the possibility if necessary to encrypt and decrypt the messages, knowing that each message sent is received by all owners of the Blockstream satellite kit. This application therefore offers a practical and secure solution for communicating with recipients without Internet access, provided of course that they have taken the initiative beforehand to equip themselves accordingly.

Whether for emergency situations, remote areas or users wishing to preserve their privacy or fight against censorship, P-38 and the infrastructure made available by Blockstream open up new possibilities for decentralized and resilient communication. . An interesting opportunity given the prevailing climate of censorship of social networks…