Blockchain-Orchestrated Interplanetary File Storage for Mars Missions

Abstract

Blockchain technology has emerged as a transformative enabler for secure, tamper-resistant 
systems across various domains. Concurrently, the proliferation of edge computing and artificial 
intelligence (AI) has underscored the need for robust access control mechanisms that operate 
efficiently at the network periphery. This manuscript proposes a comprehensive framework—
 Blockchain-Powered Access Control for Edge AI Systems (BPACEAIS)—which integrates 
decentralized blockchain-based authorization with lightweight cryptographic protocols to 
manage resource permissions for edge AI devices. The framework leverages a permissioned 
blockchain to record access policies and audit trails immutably, while employing smart contracts 
to automate policy enforcement. A novel hybrid consensus mechanism balances security and 
latency requirements characteristic of edge environments. A mixed-methods study protocol 
involving both simulation and prototype deployment evaluates performance in terms of 
authorization latency, throughput, scalability, and security resilience under adversarial scenarios. 
Results from both controlled laboratory experiments and a real-world pilot on a smart-camera 
network demonstrate that BPACEAIS reduces authorization latency by up to 40% compared to 
centralized approaches, maintains throughput above 500 transactions per second under moderate 
load, and resists common access-control attacks. The findings suggest that blockchain-based 
access control can be a viable solution for securing distributed edge AI infrastructures without 
compromising performance. Implications for design guidelines, best practices, and future 
research directions are discussed.