IDR
INTERPLANETARY DATA RESERVE

All terrestrial biological information — 3.5 billion years of evolutionary innovation — exists at a single celestial address with no off-site backup. We are building the first one.

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Years of Evolution
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Estimated Species
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Off-Site Backups
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ONE PLANET. NO BACKUP.

Every terrestrial repository — however hardened or geographically distributed — shares common-mode exposure to planetary-scale hazards: asteroid impact, supervolcanic eruption, nuclear war, pandemic, climate catastrophe.

This is not a speculative risk. It is a structural vulnerability. The concentration of all biological information at a single address means that diverse, independent threats share a single consequence: total, irreversible loss.

The solution does not require new technology. It requires putting existing data on existing rockets that are already going to space. The marginal cost per launch is less than a first-class airline ticket.

SIX PATHWAYS. ONE ARCHIVE.

The ARC is a standardized, passive, radiation-hardened payload designed to carry a comprehensive copy of Earth's genetic library on routine orbital launches. Six independent encoding pathways ensure no single failure mode renders the archive unrecoverable.

01
Synthetic DNA-in-Silica
Digital data encoded in synthetic DNA oligonucleotides, encapsulated in silica nanospheres. Maximum information density at ~700 TB per gram.
Millennia to millions of years
02
5D Optical Quartz
Femtosecond-laser-inscribed nanostructures in fused quartz. Carries the Rosetta Stone decoding guide and master index to all pathways.
Billions of years
03
Radiation-Hardened Electronics
Full GenBank database on space-qualified solid-state memory. First-resort pathway for any finder with digital computing capability.
Decades to centuries
04
Desiccated Natural DNA
Purified genomic DNA from phylogenetically selected species, encapsulated in silica. Direct molecular recovery bypasses digital encoding entirely.
Millennia
05
Hard-Etched Analog
Physical diagrams etched into nickel and titanium plates. A progressive primer from physical constants through the genetic code. Readable with the unaided eye.
Millions of years
06
Electromagnetic Broadcast
Modulated radio transmission of a prioritized genome subset near the hydrogen line. No physical recovery required. Signal expands at the speed of light.
Indefinite

TRIVIAL COST. IRREPLACEABLE ASSET.

Marginal launch cost per ARC$7,000-$9,300
Total per-unit cost (all hardware)$54,000-$166,600
Annual program (100 missions)$5.4-$16.7M
Current off-site backups of Earth's genetic library0

EVERY LAUNCH THAT DEPARTS WITHOUT A GENETIC ARCHIVE IS A MISSED OPPORTUNITY