- •SERA and TON Foundation are using a blockchain-based public vote on Telegram to select new astronauts.
- •Voters earn SpaceDust points and NFT badges for participating, requiring a TON wallet for verification.
A new initiative from SERA and The Open Network Foundation will use a public vote to select astronauts for a spaceflight. The voting occurs inside Telegram, within a mini‑application named Mission Control. To ensure a transparent process, every vote is recorded on The Open Network blockchain.
All six passenger seats on a Blue Origin New Shepard flight have been secured for this project. Five candidates will be chosen from specific nations: India, Nigeria, Brazil, Thailand, and Indonesia. These countries have historically had little representation in human spaceflight. A sixth seat is available for international applicants, with the exception of individuals from nations under sanctions.
Anyone wishing to become an astronaut must register through the Mission Control app. Their selection depends on a public vote secured by blockchain technology. Supporters can campaign for their chosen candidate by completing activities within the app. These actions earn a reward called SpaceDust. The final decision will blend online voting results with live events held in the candidate’s home country. Television broadcasts are planned for some of these national events.
According to Max Crown of The Open Network Foundation, the project aims to democratize space access. He noted that only about 300 people have ever orbited Earth. The program is funded by the TON Foundation, along with sponsors and advertising from country‑specific campaigns.
A secondary outcome of the project is promoting the use of TON wallets. Users must set up a TON wallet inside Telegram to participate in the vote. As an incentive, participants receive digital badges and achievements. These are non‑fungible tokens issued on the TON blockchain. SERA previously used a similar NFT‑based method in 2022 to send a Brazilian citizen to space.
Toncoin (TON) is trading at $2.63, down 2.61% in the last 24 hours. On the weekly scale, TON has dropped 6.30%, while its monthly decline sits at 15.92%. The token is also down 31.45% in six months and 52.15% year‑to‑date, with a sharp 55% drop over the last year. Despite this, TON remains up 532% since inception. Its market capitalization is $6.70 billion, with a 24‑hour trading volume of $134.5 million, far below its all‑time high of $8.28.
Recent developments highlight increasing institutional exposure. A Nasdaq‑listed biotech firm acquired $30 million worth of TON tokens, while AlphaTON Capital invested a further $30 million, signaling growing interest from traditional markets.
Additionally, Anthony Scaramucci joined as an adviser to a $100 million TON treasury initiative, reflecting attempts to structure large‑scale token holdings professionally.
From a technical perspective, TON has been stuck in a range compression phase between $2.77–$2.82, with RSI around 49 indicating neutral momentum. Analysts point to a key support level at $2.75, which has repeatedly prevented deeper selloffs since April.
Resistance is seen near $3.00, with a potential rebound possible if buyers reclaim momentum. However, multiple bearish patterns, including descending triangles, suggest that breaking below $2.75 could send TON toward the $2.50 zone.