Industry Explores Orbital Data Center Architecture Options

Experts discuss the benefits and challenges of building data centers in space to complement terrestrial infrastructure.

Apr. 16, 2026 at 4:50am

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D macro illustration of a modular, interconnected network of futuristic satellite hardware components in shades of neon cyan, magenta, and electric blue, conceptually representing the distributed, space-based data center infrastructure of the future.As the industry explores new frontiers for data infrastructure, orbital data centers could provide a resilient, energy-efficient complement to terrestrial facilities.Colorado Springs Today

Developing orbital data centers has become more appealing due to factors like reduced satellite launch costs, 24-hour solar power access, and growing demand for alternatives to terrestrial data centers. Industry leaders discussed the drivers, technical considerations, and potential timelines for building out this new space-based infrastructure layer that could complement traditional data centers.

Why it matters

Orbital data centers could provide a secure, resilient, and energy-efficient alternative to terrestrial data centers, which are facing constraints around location, power, and policies. As data generation continues to explode, space-based storage and computing could help address the overburdening of current data center infrastructure.

The details

Experts highlighted key considerations for orbital data centers, including the need to solve thermal management challenges, leverage automation and space-hardened components, and create a hybrid Earth-space data center network. They noted that recent advancements like more frequent and lower-cost Starship launches could enable the mass deployment of orbital data centers in the next 3-5 years.

  • Satellite launch costs have dropped from $56,000 per kilogram a few years ago to $2,800 per kilogram today.
  • Industry leaders expect to see frequent Starship launches enabling huge amounts of mass to orbit within the next 3-5 years.

The players

Dennis Gatens

President of LEOcloud, now part of Voyager Technologies.

Philip Johnston

Co-founder and CEO of Starcloud.

Rob deMillo

CEO of Sophia Space, focused on space native computing.

Steve Eisele

CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings, building a resilient cloud storage layer in space.

Salem El Nimri

CTO of the AWS Aerospace and Satellite division.

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What they’re saying

“There's real advantages [to] deploying cloud capability in space. That's the net of it.”

— Dennis Gatens, President of LEOcloud

“In space, we can take advantage of the almost limitless low cost energy in the form of solar.”

— Philip Johnston, Co-founder and CEO of Starcloud

“Space just punishes terrestrial assumptions, it just does. Physics is always going to be with us. So we're taking the approach that the problem to solve first is the thermal shedding problem.”

— Rob deMillo, CEO of Sophia Space

“Who here six months ago thought data centers in space was a thing or a good idea? It's amazing how much momentum we're putting in our efforts. And we're going to push forward. It's remarkable. Suddenly we all look like the smartest people in the room.”

— Steve Eisele, CEO of Lonestar Data Holdings

“If you're going to look at it as more distributed, where you have compute on different satellites, and they are interconnected, then you need to look at the algorithms that you need to use and leverage to orchestrate the compute when it has to happen on multiple satellites at the same time.”

— Salem El Nimri, CTO of AWS Aerospace and Satellite division

What’s next

Industry experts expect to see more frequent and lower-cost Starship launches within the next 3-5 years, which could enable the mass deployment of orbital data centers to complement terrestrial infrastructure.

The takeaway

The push for orbital data centers highlights the industry's drive to find new, innovative solutions to address the growing constraints and demands on traditional data center infrastructure. As technology and launch costs continue to improve, space-based computing and storage could become a viable complement to Earth-bound data centers.