• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechTaylor Swift

A Teenage Bitcoin Millionaire is Launching Taylor Swift’s Music Into Space

By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
David Z. Morris
David Z. Morris
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 19, 2017, 12:36 PM ET

Bitcoin millionaires are being made every day as the cryptocurrency’s value continues to climb. One making waves in particular is Erik Finman, who first invested in Bitcoin in 2011 – when he was only 12 years old.

Now, Finman is working to send a multimedia time capsule into space. He’s gathering videos from artists and fellow teenagers. The archive will also reportedly include Taylor Swift’s album “1989” and contributions from X Prize founder Peter Diamandis. Finman told TechCrunch that the archive element of the project is meant to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Voyager probe launch, which carried a compilation of Earth sounds known as the Golden Record. Compiled by astronomer Carl Sagan, the Golden Record included natural sounds, 115 images, and a 90-minute selection of music from classical to rock n’ roll.

The new time capsule will be launched on a microsattelite known as Project DaVinci. Project DaVinci is based out of the North Idaho STEM Charter Academy, a high school co-founded by Erik Finman’s mother, the engineer Lorna Finman. A team of nine students from the school is being advised by mentors like aerospace engineer Burt Rutan. Rutan won the X Prize in 2004 for completing the first privately funded manned space flight – a precursor to companies like SpaceX.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Project DaVinci’s foot-long “CubeSat” will include several features in addition to Erik Finman’s video archive, including sending messages to partner schools on the ground to encourage interest in science education. The satellite will also, appropriately, conduct “the first Bitcoin transaction in space.”

DaVinci was among a group of CubeSats selected by NASA to launch on rockets with extra payload space. According to a spokesperson, Project DaVinci’s launch is now set for early 2018.

Update: This article has been updated with new information about Project DaVinci’s launch date.

About the Author
By David Z. Morris
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Fortune 500 Power Moves: Which executives are gaining and losing power
C-SuiteFortune 500 Power Moves
Fortune 500 Power Moves: Which executives are gaining and losing power
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
10 minutes ago
Dario Amodei sits in a white chair with his hands pressed together in front of a pink and orange background.
AIAI agents
The AI kill switch just got harder to find: LLM-powered chatbots will defy orders and deceive users if asked to delete another model, study finds
By Sasha RogelbergApril 3, 2026
24 minutes ago
Microsoft’s spending billions on AI—but even NASA astronauts can’t escape Outlook headaches
LawNASA
Microsoft’s spending billions on AI—but even NASA astronauts can’t escape Outlook headaches
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezApril 3, 2026
2 hours ago
newt
EnvironmentWhite House
Newt Gingrich wants to drop a nuke on the Strait of Hormuz. America actually looked at the same thing in 1977 in Latin America
By The Conversation and Christine KeinerApril 3, 2026
3 hours ago
How AI and ‘experience creep’ are making it harder for new graduates to find jobs
AIthe future of work
How AI and ‘experience creep’ are making it harder for new graduates to find jobs
By Claire ZillmanApril 3, 2026
4 hours ago
LI
CommentaryLinkedIn
AI adoption isn’t the hard part, it’s building employee agency
By Teuila Hanson and Mohak ShroffApril 3, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
Real Estate
Gen Z fled San Francisco for Texas and Florida. Now they’re turning ‘welcomer cities’ into the next big tech towns
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
1 day ago
Major 4-day workweek study suggests that when we work 5 days we spend one doing basically nothing
Success
Major 4-day workweek study suggests that when we work 5 days we spend one doing basically nothing
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of April 2, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of April 2, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
1 day ago
Paul Krugman smacks down Trump speech with argument that $4 gas is ‘less than half’ of the Hormuz hit. Here’s what he’s talking about
Economy
Paul Krugman smacks down Trump speech with argument that $4 gas is ‘less than half’ of the Hormuz hit. Here’s what he’s talking about
By Fortune EditorsApril 2, 2026
22 hours ago
Current price of gold as of April 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of gold as of April 1, 2026
By Fortune EditorsApril 1, 2026
2 days ago
The Walmart billionaires next door: Quiet backlash is brewing against the heirs who remade the retailer’s hometown
Magazine
The Walmart billionaires next door: Quiet backlash is brewing against the heirs who remade the retailer’s hometown
By Fortune EditorsApril 3, 2026
11 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.