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Redmond Today
By the People, for the People
Starcloud Launches First Space-Based Bitcoin Mining Satellite
Startup aims to solve energy and cooling challenges of terrestrial crypto mining with orbital data centers.
Published on Mar. 8, 2026
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Starcloud, a startup based in Redmond, Washington, has launched its first satellite, Starcloud-1, into low Earth orbit (LEO). The refrigerator-sized satellite, weighing around 50 kg, carries an NVIDIA H100 GPU, marking the first GPU-class data center in space. Starcloud's goal is to provide a more efficient and sustainable infrastructure for compute-intensive tasks like Bitcoin mining and AI training by leveraging space-based resources like constant solar energy and passive radiative cooling.
Why it matters
The Bitcoin mining industry has long struggled with access to cheap, abundant, and reliable energy. Starcloud's space-based data centers could offer a solution by providing a more efficient alternative to terrestrial mining operations. This technology also has implications for the growing demand for GPU compute power driven by the explosion of generative AI.
The details
Starcloud's architecture relies on three key technological pillars: deployable solar panels that continuously capture energy in LEO, passive radiative cooling that eliminates the need for costly active cooling systems, and laser and RF connectivity to transmit computational results to ground stations. The company claims these space-based data centers can achieve up to 10 times greater efficiency compared to their terrestrial counterparts.
- In November 2025, Starcloud launched its first satellite, Starcloud-1, via a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission.
- As of early 2026, Starcloud was valued at approximately $100 million, following a $2.4 million pre-seed round.
The players
Starcloud
A startup based in Redmond, Washington that is developing space-based data centers for compute-intensive tasks like Bitcoin mining and AI training.
Philip Johnston
The CEO of Starcloud, with experience at McKinsey & Co. working on satellite projects for national space agencies and education from Harvard, Wharton, and Columbia.
Ezra Feilden
The CTO of Starcloud, with 10 years of experience at Airbus Defense & Space and a PhD in Materials Engineering from Imperial College London.
Adi Oltean
The Chief Engineer at Starcloud, with 20 years of experience at Microsoft and experience at SpaceX developing tracking beams for Starlink.
NVIDIA H100
The GPU chip carried by Starcloud-1, marking the first GPU-class data center in orbit.
What’s next
Starcloud plans to continue launching additional satellites to build out its space-based data center infrastructure, with the goal of reaching 5 GW of orbital capacity.
The takeaway
Starcloud's space-based data centers represent a novel approach to addressing the energy and cooling challenges faced by the Bitcoin mining industry and the growing demand for GPU compute power driven by AI. If successful, this technology could disrupt traditional data center models and have far-reaching implications for the future of computing.
